Green Blood
by Heavens-spirit
Summary: New sum: Damon and the others are thrown into a huge new adventure, when Lea, a foreign archaeologist, rolls into town. Within the ancient soil of Mystic Falls a strange skeleton is found, a skeleton with a story that's going to affect them all. Since Elena chose Stefan, will Damon be prepared for the new mystery Lea will bring him? Set a few years after S. 3. Damon/OC some Stelena
1. Chapter 1

**Vampire diaries own most of the characters, but the plot is mine.**

**I hope you all enjoy my story and fall in love with the characters like I did when I saw TVD.**

**Thanks so much to my Beta reader xxxMrsSalvatorexx who has helped me with my English.**

**There is a difference between my story and the end of season 3. Elena did not turn into a vampire, but they did cheat Klaus into thinking she is dead. Also, please expect the unexpected in this story, because I will be meddling with the entire mythology of vampire diaries, t****he origin of vampires and the role of the Originals. If you like the mystery and constant new twists of TVD then this story is certainly something for you. :) **

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The darkness shrouding Mystic Falls seemed far more impenetrable than any other place she had ever been, like the light of the moon and the stars counted for nothing. Lea hadn't even considered visiting the small town until she heard on the News that possible archaeological traces of a Viking settlement had been unearthed. On her road trip through the States, she had been drawn by historical sites and she never missed an opportunity to visit an excavation. Back home in Europe she had worked on several big dig sites and the opportunity to see old European remains in America was too tempting.

Driving on the lonely road flanked by crooked black trees she felt an uncomforting chill. Lea had always trusted her gut feeling and briefly considered just driving through Mystic Falls and passing on. Still, the promise of mysteries enticed her and with a shrug of her shoulders she decided that maybe a bit of a chill was just what she needed.

The growl of the motorbike sounded loud in the silence as she drove by the city sign. The hotel parking lot was practically empty as she arrived and there was only a hushed wind to greet her when she removed her helmet. The vague sound of music from a house across the street told her that some kids probably were exploiting their parents' absence. Lea grabbed her backpack from the silver bike and turned towards the hotel entrance, eager for a bed to crash on. The hotel looked like any other small town hotel with ugly curtains and

He had been waiting patiently for some drunken teen to stumble alone back to her house so he could eat. Damon preferred draining young pretty girls; they tasted so much sweeter than the musky men. None had caught his hungry eye just yet but the night was still young and Damon had the patience of a hunter.

The unexpected sound of an engine had him turning his head as he had spotted the black motorcycle pulling up by the hotel. The wind blew towards him and a strange scent had caught his attention. It was a foreign smell of ice water, newborn babies and something indecisive reminding him of soil after rain. The heartbeat of the driver was clearly audible so Damon was certain the person was human but he had never smelled anyone like that. The dark slender figure removed her helmet releasing a small wave of blond hair and as he moved closer very female curves became apparent in her dark leather suit.

Lea's heart skipped a beat when she bumped right into the chest of a dark figure. Confused she raised her chin only to stare into a pale pair of icy blue eyes framed by dark soft hair. Even before he had uttered a word Lea recognized murder in his gaze but she stood firm. The young man tilted his head watching her reaction with dark amusement.

When he snuck up on her Lea's strong heart started pumping faster but unlike most of the girls he had killed over the years this strange one didn't look for a way out. She didn't start flirting nervously or ignoring him. He considered whether she was the kind of prey who simply froze in the face of danger but her eyes seemed sharp.

"You're not from around here," his voice was smooth and deviously playful. She felt the small hairs on her neck rise and looked back at him with proud defiance, even though fear was boiling in her inside. The man was quite handsome and even though he oozed of bad intentions a strange glint of curiosity seemed to keep him from charging at her.

"No, I am not."

"Hmm" he muttered letting his eyes wander to her neck. "You should know there are strange and dangerous creatures in Mystic Falls." When she didn't reply he winked at her insolently. Damon inhaled her unfamiliar scent again and noticed how her eyes seemed to change color when he shifted from side to side. "What are you?" he whispered exhilarated and bended all the way towards her so their noses nearly met.

"What am I?" she almost smiled. "Aren't I supposed to ask you that question?" Damon laughed nonchalantly at her response.

"Touché," he smirked allowing her a just glimpse of his spiky fangs. Lea did not feel as brave as he deemed her. Whatever this… man wanted it wasn't good and if she was less of a – _live life, no regrets – _kind of girl she probably would have cried out for help. Something swift in his movements told her the ugly truth: she would never have time to utter even one syllable if he wanted to silence her. Old memories of dark fairy tales from her childhood came to mind and all she could think was that against such evil only bravery and holding her head high would be dignified.

Damon tried reading the thoughts behind her green eyes. Or were they yellow or maybe grey? Her face wasn't supermodel pretty, but her strong radiant eyes had an unparalleled beauty. Should he drink her dry? It was tempting. Her blood smelled intoxicating standing this close to her. Once again her eyes seemed to change under the moonlight almost appearing purple. Damon stared deep into them finding himself leaping inside a sky of dreams, passion, ambition and light. He felt like he'd gotten sucked into an alternate world so unlike his own gloomy and wild existence.

Lea only saw an icy gaze leaning towards her as if to eat her in one single bite. He was like the shadow of a murderous blade dripping of past crimes. The night was emanating from his skin and she wondered what had made him into this. Within the frosty blue threatening to invade her soul his twisted curiosity suddenly likened that of a plea. Not sure why, Lea placed a helping hand on his chest and pushed him gently away as to show him that he could walk away. Damon slowly broke his trance like fixation with the indefinite eyes when he felt the push. He didn't resist her as she turned away from him and started walking.

"Who are you?" he muttered, not really able to understand what had happened. Lea felt his death grip on her loosening and looked back at him with confidence.

"My name is Lea Feyal."

When the secure door slammed behind her Damon furiously turned back to face the house with the drunken teens. Somehow he felt like he had lost an extraordinary meal and this foreign girl baffled him in every way. The thirst was strong now and he ran into the night searching for a quick kill.

Lea sighed relieved, thankful for her still beating heart and leaned heavily against the door. She was certain she had survived an encounter with a strange monster. A monster who had an obvious desire to sink its teeth into her, but for some reason he didn't. With shaking hands she got her room key from the receptionist and collapsed on the bed when she reached her room.


	2. Chapter 2

**For pictures, soundtrack and more for this story, visit my tumblr blog - see my profile for link. **

**Many thanks to my wonderful Beta reader xxxMrsSalvatorexxx who took the time to read these 2 first chapters and aid my poor english. **

**I hope you'll enjoy the story :) **

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The morning came to Mystic Falls with cautious warmth and brittle sunlight. Lea woke but didn't stire for half an hour, savouring the peace and quiet.

The event from the previous night seemed to be nothing but a bad dream and the man with murder in his eyes was a shadow fleeing before the sun. Now that her mind was calm and clear she lay wondering why he had decided against hurting her. It had been obvious that he was no ordinary man and his deliberate show of long sharp teeth brought to mind the countless vampire movies she had seen over the years.

Lea had always believed there was truth to the old tales, but frankly she had hoped to meet mermaids or unicorns, not blood thirsty bats. The encounter was far from her romantic idea of fantasy creatures and she briefly considered just packing up and driving away. But it seemed sort of ridiculous, not to mention cowardly to run.

Whatever he was, he hadn't hurt her in spite of his instinct. She felt curiosity worm its way in, overshadowing her concern. Lea still really wanted to visit the excavations and if he was such a night creature she would only need to get home before sunset. Why was she such a sucker for a mystery?

Peeking at the alarm clock, she realised that the hotel breakfast buffet had already closed and scrambled towards the bathroom. Lea was determined to face Mystic Falls. Besides she wasn't particularly afraid of death.

She had no regrets in her life, and death was merely a kind of train station that would carry her onto new destinations. Pain was harder to handle but she knew that if the mystery guy wanted to kill her, she wouldn't have time to think before her neck got snapped.

...

"Damon?" Sefan knocked on the black door.

"What?!" a sleepy voice sneered.

"Me and Elena are meeting Bonnie for brunch. Wanna come?" Stefan wasn't keen on letting Damon and Elena be in the same room considering their history but his brother had seemed even more bad-tempered and scheming lately.

It had been a long time since Elena had finally chosen between them and Damon had accepted his defeat with his usual dark grace. Stefan felt blessed every day for her love, and could afford to be the bigger man. He saw how Damon returned to his mean old habits and numb heart and couldn't help feeling responsible.

"I might join you later, if I have nothing better to do," Damon answered and Stefan left him to his groggy misery.

The bedroom was dark except for a single ray of light sneaking through the heavy curtains. It graced the glass of Bourbon on the night stand and he reached lazily for the drink to wash down the blood from last night.

He rose to throw on the usual black T-shirt, dark jeans and leather jacket. Even if this was a crappy morning it might be fun to stir things up at Stefan's perfect picnic brunch. It really wasn't his idea of a swell sunday: to eat mini muffins and playing the spectator to Elena and Stefan's face sucking.

Still he could drop by the café and offer his specialty - a bit of awkward insolence. He slightly enjoyed watching Elena and Stefan squirm while they battled their guilt over her choosing Stefan against telling him to shut the fuck up. It was far better than those nauseating pity glances.

Damon was a big bad vampire and their compassion made him sick to his stomach. Sure Stefan had won Elena, the woman he had desired even more than Katherine. But it had given him a welcome reminder as to why he didn't allow himself to feel anything for anyone. He wasn't human, he didn't have no beating heart to listen to.

...

Elana sat nipping at her scone, listening to Bonnie's worried voice.

"I am telling you, something strange is about to happen. My dream last night was literaly exploding with weird omens." She leaned in close and added: "when I woke up my drapes were on fire!" she showed them a burned lock of hair as a testament to her story.

Stefan looked concerned and Elena didn't want to listen. Mystic Falls had been trouble-free for a while and she had really enjoyed the peace and quiet. Bonnie often had wild dreams and though Elena knew how powerful her friend was she wished that these dreams did not bear the significance Bonnie ascribed to them.

"What kind of omens are we talking about?"

The witch shook her head. "I don't know. I keep dreaming about sparks setting everything in the town alight. But I am not sure whether the fire is a friend or foe yet."

"Anything else?" Elena asked, hoping that was the end of it.

"Yeah, dark butterflies bleeding a lake in the town square."

"Wow I don't know how you ever get any sleep with dreams like that," Elena said and Bonnie replied with a tired glare.

The café door slammed closed and Stefan turned his head with a predator wrinkle on his nose. A blond girl entered and strolled past them heading for the counter.

"Who is that?" Elena asked.

"Don't know," he mumbled.

Bonnie was too occupied with her dream to even look up, and sat playing unconsciously with the flame. Usually she wasn't so careless with her powers in public, but it was a reflection of her worry.

"That's a neat magic trick," The blond girl spoke spooking them all. The candle flame crackled startled and Bonnie's face turned red. "How do you do that?" Bonnie considered lying, but somehow figured that the truth might throw the girl off.

"Just a bit of witchcraft," she smiled nervously.

"Really cool, you must be the centre of attention at parties. I am Lea."

Bonnie smiled relieved that her forwardness had paid off and shook her hand.

"You're not from around here," Stefan said and Elena kicked him under the table.

"No I am not," she replied, "I am visiting from Europe, Denmark to be more specific."

"Why come to Mystic falls? Not much happening here," Stefan said and both of the girls had to stop themselves from snorting sarcastically. With all the supernatural activity over the last couple of years they wouldn't exactly characterise the town as dull.

"I think it's fun to see the small towns when I travel, and there's an archaeological excavation in town that I really want to check out."

Bonnie's face lit up. "Yeah, I've seen that. The paper wrote that they had found a house or something?"

"I heard that too, so I can't wait to check it out," the stranger spoke.

Elena smiled at her eagerness. "You're a historian?" Elena questioned. There wasn't a lot of academic types i Mystic Falls, but Elena loved when people had an intelligent story to tell. That was also one of the things she loved about Stefan. Unlike the average teenage boy, Stefan liked reading books and discussing them with girl in front of her had a scholar charisma but with hints of a wilder side, like her red leather jacket, messy hair and intense green eyes.

"No I am an archaeologist," Lea replied and started telling them all about the places she had visited in the last month on the road.

The friends sat spellbound when Lea described her visit to a Native American reservation and her meeting with a famous shaman. Lea thought it was great to share her adventures with someone. It got kind of lonely traveling by herself and as long as she could focus on the amazing trip, and skip any deeper conversation - like why she had left Denmark in the first place - she enjoyed herself imensely. None of them heard Damon enter the café.

Damon noticed her right away. He was baffled to see her in eager conversation with Elena. Oh, how curiously different they were.

Last night he had been so focused on her scent and eyes that he hadn't really seen her. Elena was slim and elegant like a house cat, and dark with her brown hair, brown eyes and tanned skin. She had a constant mixed look of secrecy and vulnerability on her face. A look Damon had come to love.

Lea was different. Everything about her was light. Even last night when she knowingly faced a most likely death, she had light in her eyes. Her hair was blond from the sun, but red brown underneath and skin so pale it was almost transparent. She had an expression on her face of complete openness and a strength in the way she carried herself, like a wild lioness.

The girls were deep in conversation about American nature. Apparently the foreign girl had a passion for hiking in beautiful forests. He waited a while by the door, pondering on these two women. That new girl still smelled and looked like something he would enjoy biting into, whereas he would never touch Elena.

After Stefan and Elena had found each other all he really wanted to do to women, was kill them. And he had. Only last weekend he had gone on a killing spree in a nearby town. If he took too many lives in Mystic Falls Stefan would try to stop him, and though he had small nagging desire to kick his little brother's ass - just for an hour or two, he felt that their new sense of brotherhood should be protected. He didn't feel like being on his own again.

Elena was the first to notice his presence. "Hey, it's Damon," she waved at him and turned to Lea and added: "He's Stefan's brother." The blond girl raised her chin to look in his direction and immediatly lost her relaxed stature.

Lea felt a chill crawl down her spine. The dark creature had returned underneath the bright sun. Suddenly she didn't feel like chit-chatting and got up with an apologetic smile.

"It was so nice to meet you all, but I think I better go now."

Bonnie saw how Lea sent Damon a nervous glance and wondered what the dumb vampire had gone and done now. Honestly sometimes he was just too much of a jerk. She really liked this Lea, and hoped to bump into her again soon.

Elena was confused with the sudden departure too. "Why don't you meet us tonight, there's Open Mic at the Mystic Grill?" Elena asked and quickly scribbled her cellphone number down on a napkin. Lea grabbed it and almost ran past Damon who was watching her hurry with amusement. As the door closed behind her Elena turned to Stefan. "Do you think something is wrong?" she asked and he gestured Damon who smoothly slithered after Lea.

...

"Leaving so soon?" he humored letting her know he was walking right behind her.

She paused slightly but didn't turn. "Stalking me again?" she asked, and Damon let out a brief laugh. "So your name is Damon then.. very suiting." Lea turned very suddenly and faced him. Damon searched her eyes for any fear but to his surprise he found nothing. The heart-beat was happy but calm. Did his evil appearance really have such a vague effect on her, that the day after he almost attached her, she felt nothing? Lea inspected his mouth. "Does your kind walk in the daylight now?" she spoke as-a-matter-of-factly and turned to walk again.

"Darn, what gave me away? It's the black leather jacket right?" he sighed sarcastically as if he was upset with himself. She just kept walking, waiting for his answer.

Lea felt strangely curious and not nearly as frightened when the sun was shining. Besides, she hated when people tried to scare her. Damon tried to read her silence. "Since you ask, besides my vicious charm, I posses a little trick that allows me to bask in the sun." He opened his arms upwards and smirked as she glanced back at him.

"And now you have decided to stalk me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, I was meeting my brother and his friends at the café."

She resisted a smile. "Didn't figure your kind had friends, and as far as I can see they're still at the café and you are here, chasing me." Damon would have snapped some poisonous response, but she continued. " Trying to scare me senseless or do you just want a hug?" his temper flared and with a harsh push he pinned her to the wall.

"Do you have a death wish girl!?" He hissed and heard a rush of blood wash through her veins like a tidle wave. Lea looked at him with scientific amazement and felt his chilled breath on her lips.

"I have no regrets. Do you?" she asked a challenge written on her face. "And if you are indeed my dark death, then at least you are.. well slightly handsome." She sighed.

"Slightly!?" Damon released her in disbelief. "I am the Brad Pitt of vampires!" Demonstratively he lifted the t-shirt to reveal solid abs and knocked on them with his fist.

"Wow, yeah, excuse me. You are just a dashing reaper, " she said without a smile.

Damon placed his hand beside her head on the wall and gave her a furious look. "You've got a quick mouth, don't you? I might actually let you live."

Stefan came out of the café followed by Elena, to see why Damon and Lea had acted so strangely. "Damon, what are you doing?" Stefan's voice rang in his ears.

Elena ran to them and pushed Damon away from Lea. "Control yourself," she snapped at him and sent Lea an apologetic look. "Sorry Lea, he's mental. Let Stefan handle him while I buy you a cup of tea or something?" Damon still hadn't broken eye contact and Lea refused to let him win. Finally Stefan yanked him around the corner and the girls stood alone. "Did he do anything to you?"

Lea shook her head slowly and noticed that her hands were suddenly shaking. "He.. surprised me last night. I thought he was going to kill me. I am not sure why he didn't. Oh my god, I never thought I'd ever meet a vampire!" Lea tilted backwards to seek the support of the brick wall and Elena gripped her arm in support.

"You're safe now. We wont let him have you." Elena promised and guided the shaky girl back to the café. Lea didn't understand where all her sassiness had come from but she thought she had seen a glimpse of amusement in his otherwise cold eyes, when she stood up to him. Whether it was the amusement of the cat playing with the mouse or a genuine interest, she couldn't tell.

A few minutes passed while Bonnie and Elena exchanged bewildered looks as Lea sat very still on a chair and muttered thoughtful words. When she spoke again her voice sounded gloomy.

"I really didn't expect to see a vampire in the States. Some skyscrapers, maybe Las Vegas and some celebrities - not a vampire." Elena was concerned that the girl might get hysteric though the voice was low and dark. Lea continued, "and Stefan is this Damon's brother, so he's a vampire too?" Bonnie nodded before Elena could prevent it.

They didn't know this girl yet, and always guarded the secret of the Salvatores, because only few understood that not all vampires are evil. Revealing their nature to the wrong people could start a vamp-hunt hysteria in the town, and though Lea had recognised Bonnie as a witch with nothing but a smile, she probably wouldn't be as kind to the vampire race when Damon was the only representative she had encountered.

"But Stefan is a good guy and Damon is too, in his own bad way," Elena explained but was met with a skeptic frown from Lea. "He's just kind of lost right now."

"Witches and vampires," Lea whispered, "is this not an intricate world?" she asked without really expecting an answer.

"Damon would never hurt you, if I told him not to," Elena reassured her, and patted her shoulder. Lea forced a grateful smile and wondered if this was the beginning of a fairytale or a nightmare. Either way she had always loved reading the stories with princes and monsters, but now that it was all so real she wasn't certain she could handle it. She was drawn by the possibility of learning more, about magic and beasts, and looking into the eyes of death always made her feel utterly alive.

Stefan returned and Elena went to talk to him, while Lea started asking Bonnie about spells, specifically those for protection. The sudden change from shock to action baffled the black witch but she wanted to help Lea. It was a rare thing to talk openly about her crafts and Lea seemed to listen with every fiber of her body.

"How is she?" Stefan asked as he kissed Elena on the forehead.

"I am not sure. I mean she's such a nice person, but I don't like the way Damon scared her. She might go to the Sheriff," Elena replied. "Can't you use that jedi trick on her?"

Stefan smiled. "It's called mind compulsion, and I think that's a good idea to just make her forget. Less trouble for all of us. She has got Damon all worked up. I usually don't interfere when he feeds, but a foreigner and in broad daylight, what was he thinking? Next thing we know he kicks of an international vampire killing spree. I don't know why he is so interested in her."

Elena shook her head. "Me neither, although she does smell good." He looked at her questioningly. "Well, she does. Don't think I didn't notice how your nostrils vibrated when she first entered."

He leaned forward and kissed her. "You smell good too," he said and she giggled as he gently bit her neck.

"Just go do your magic," Elena said and pushed him softly away.

Lea was more relaxed as they returned. Bonnie and her were engaged in eager conversation about spell-making.

"Lea?" Stefan interrupted. As she turned towards him he grabbed her shoulder and stared into her eyes. "You'll forget about Damon. You will get your things and travel onto your next destination. You will lose interest in the excavation." His pupils dilated and she sat for a while considering his words.

"I don't think I will just forget about a vampire's attempt to jump me. And I have dreamt to see an excavation like that." The friends gawked. Stefan's ability to manipulate thoughts had helped keep their secret many times. Even though Damon was far better at it, Stefan had never failed once, and then came this strange girl, who smelled like ice and earth and rejected his attempt with the wink of an eye.

When she continued to glare at him he realized that they were all silent in disbelief. Bonnie was the first to break the awkward moment:

"Then why don't we take a walk down to the dig site?" Elena and Stefan nodded slowly trying to figure out how to deal with the unusual event.

Lea however was beaming with joy. "I would love to. Just the thing to get my mind off Damon." They paid the waitress and Bonnie and Lea made their way to the exit. Elena and Stefan lingered at the table and looked at each other.

"This has never happened before," his voice was almost apologetic.

"I am sure it hasn't," she replied. "She's got vampire tantalizing scent, drives Damon nuts, and resists you when you compel her mind. Maybe it would be wise to watch her? Do you think she has got magic?"

Stefan shook his head. "She doesn't smell like a witch, but a spell might be protecting her. Hopefully she's leaving town soon."

"If Damon doesn't drain her first," Elena added.

"We've got to keep her safe then?" Stefan asked her, and Elena smiled at her protective boyfriend.

"It's the right thing to do. She's a nice person," Elena concluded and Stefan hugged her. He felt strange, like the calm before a storm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3, don't be disappointed if there's not too much action, because the plot will definitely thicken from now on. **

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The excavation site was in the middle of the town, in the large square. Lea picked up her pace as she eyed the piles of dirt growing around it. Stefan, Elena and Bonnie had been there before once, but didn't find the layers of sand and clay all that exhilarating. When reports of skeletons had reached the papers Elena had joked about Stefan being able to ID them, since he was so old. Damon laughed long and hard but Stefan wasn't particularly amused.

The dig site was empty and the sunday haze laid like dust on the ground. Lea immediately jumped into the hole and started pacing the exposed surface, reading the signs on the earth. She had told them this was what she was educated to do, and that her work as an archaeologist wasn't just a job, but a passion.

"Here's the remains of a longhouse," she exclaimed and her companions squinted in an attempt to see what she saw. Their inquisitive facial expressions made her stop to explain. "You see those circle shapes in the sand? They are slightly darker because a wooden pillar stood there and rotted away. Notice how the circles form 2 parallel rows?" The friends smiled when they recognised the pattern. "It looks remarkably like the ones we find in Denmark, from the Viking Age. That's why this excavation is so unique. It might be the remains of a Viking visit in America before Columbus! And the fact that it's this far from the coast makes it all the more special."

Stefan, who had lived through a lot of history, smiled at her passion for the past. Elena tilted her head to the side and was looking at Lea, trying to imagine this nordic girl as one of her viking ancestors in a large wooden hall.

"It's amazing how you can see all that just from a few changing shades of dirt," Bonnie laughed and felt invigorated by the energy in Lea's eyes.

"Hey you there! What do you think you are doing down there?" a tall bearded man with a green linen shirt stood looking down at them.

Lea didn't seem to care that he was looking very stern. "I am sorry sir, are you one of the excavators?"

"I am. And who are you kids?" Stefan snorted at the title and Elena giggled knowingly.

"My name is Lea, I am a Danish archaeologist working with Scandinavian Viking Age and the Medieval era, and I couldn't resist seeing this place when I heard about your findings. It was I who lured the others down here."

His strict expression changed into one big grin. "Lea, yeah, didn't you publish that outstanding article about transportation mentality in the Viking era? "She nodded eagerly and he continued, "I thought you were much older." Her cheeks turned rosy pink as he climbed down and shook her hand. "The name is Sean Walker. You are most welcome at our excavation." He kissed her hand like they were ballroom dancers and didn't spend their days in the mud.

"Thank you," Lea smiled, unaccustomed to such behaviour.

"You must come and work with us one day. Your experience with viking settlements might be helpful." He gestured tothe house and gave her his card.

Lea was ecstatic. "I'll come by tomorrow - if it's alright then?" He nodded. "One more thing, I was wondering, the post holes over there have a remarkable shape - they almost form two concentric circles. Have you found anything that suggests its use?" Sean followed her to the patterns in the ground.

"Not yet, but we are definitely thinking some sort of religious construction."

Elena was thinking that there were limits as to how exciting dirt was, but Bonnie leaned in to see the black markings in the sand. She traced Lea's movements closely as the blond girl kneeled and gently started scraping soil away.

"Vikings.." Elena said thoughtfully, "aren't they those big brutes that plundered Europe?"

Sean smiled eagerly. "Yes, the old fearsome Norsemen. Imagine the long journey it most have been for them from Scandinavia."

Lea kept digging while Sean explained all about the Vikings. "Bones!" Lea suddenly yelled and Sean almost threw himself in the dirt. "And it's human." They all leaned in close as she tentatively brushed more sand aside. A long pale bone appeared and Sean found a brush in his pocket and began helping unearth it.

"This means we can compare this skeleton with Scandinavian specimens." Stefan was too familiar with bones and blood to feel a need to touch it, but Bonnie and Elena reached out for the smooth surface enthusiastically.

"Sort of gross," Bonnie said but couldn't take her eyes off it.

"I'll cover it up now," Lea replied, "otherwise it'll dry up. And I am not sure this is mine to discover."

"Nonsense," Sean thundered and patted her on the back. "You come back tomorrow and finish the job!"

"That's too kind of you. There aren't many excavators who allow strangers unto their history-making site."

"You are no stranger and you know the material. I would be delighted to have you." It was obvious that Sean was quite taken with the foreigner and Elena wondered if he was about to ask Lea out although he was much older than her. Stefan still pondered on what strange skill made her able to resist him and he was pretty sure that if they didn't protect her from Damon, he would probably swallow her in anger. They said goodbye to Mr Walker and crawled up unto the street.

"Lea, I was thinking," Elena began, "if you are going to stay in Mystic Falls for a while, a hotel room could get really dull. There's so many empty rooms at the Salvatore manor. You could come live with us?"

Stefan added: "Yes of course and then we can make sure Damon doesn't bother you."

Lea had a mixed expression of skepticism and gratitude. "That is so nice of you. You don't even know me... but, don't you live with Damon?" Elena took her hand reassuringly.

"We do, but we can control him there. If you are at the hotel, we can't be around to help. And it's a nice place, big beds and good company."

Lea laughed. "You sound like a commercial for some five-star resort, how can I say no to that?" She hugged Elena and thought to herself, that it might not be such a bad idea to team up with a good vampire to beat a bad one.

Elena and Stefan had been together long enough to read each other's minds easily. Lea was odd, in the vampire and werewolf kind of way. Whether to protect her or be prepared for any trouble that might follow her, they agreed it was better to keep her close.

...

The old house was peaceful in a gloomy sort of way. When Elena moved in, the place lost some of its dusty charm, which was replaced with life, the smell of homemade food and beautiful flowers. Outside Damon's black Camero played a contrast to the romantic garden and old façade.

Lea arrived in the afternoon with her backpack on the growling motorbike. Elena greeted her through a first floor window and ran down to welcome her.

"It's gonna be nice to have another girl in the house," she giggled, "and another human. God knows those two guys can be... well you know."

Lea giggled back. She couldn't believe how hospitable the Americans were. She always figured they were every man for himself kind of people and felt embarrassed for her prejudice. The house looked like something out of a fairy tale or a tudor period movie. Obviously vampires had all the time in the world to get the good real estate. "I want to thank you again, for shelter and kindness."

Elena shrugged. "We feel responsible for Damon's bad behaviour and since you're kind of cool, we thought we'd better keep you safe. Stefan is hunting, but as long as either him or me is around you needn't worry. And as I said, I am happy with some female company. This is the living room, the kitchen is down the hall. Don't mind the bags of blood in the fridge, it's from animals. Vampire equivalent of veggy food." She rolled her eyes and aimed for the stairs. "Up here is a couple of rooms, we have a library, training room, some bathrooms, Damon sleeps in there and me and Stefan here." Elena opened their door revealing a huge room with a bed a desk and several wardrobes. "You get that one," she pointed to a door further down the hall.

The wooden door looked worn but the room was neat. The furniture was old and victorian, as was most of the inventory of the manor. The window was facing north, towards the garden and the surrounding woods. Lea pushed it open and breathed in the clean air with a sigh.

"This is much more homey than the hotel. What an amazing house."

Elena was in love with it too and it was nice to have someone to share it with. "I love it here. Sometimes I like to pretend I am a Lady from the Civil War period. Stefan even bought me a dress to fit the part."

"I am playful as well, maybe we can have a tea party and poetry reading or something," Lea said and they smiled at each others craziness.

...

The sun had left the sky and the brothers met in the darkness outside the manor. Damon was biting his lip watching the two girls through the window.

"Why is she here?" he frowned**, **annoyed as Stefan put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"You can't justgo killing every girl you want. Lea is from another country. Do you really want an international vampire hunt?"

"I have killed so many before, why protect this one? Tired with your girlfriend already?" he smirked and sent Elena a look of mixed feelings.

"You know I'm not," Stefan said, "but I smell Lea too. She's got strange blood."

"Wow Stefan, getting adventurous? Never imagined you could care for anything that might spoil your little paradise. You do know she'll bring something bad with her right?" Stefan lowered his eyes and Damon sneered, amused. "Yeah you know I am right. No one as strange as her comes to Mystic Falls without casting a shadow."

"She is innocent and Elena likes her."

Damon rolled his eyes. "And you reckon I wouldn't do anything to upset Elena?" he scratched his nose irritated. "The thing is, she doesn't have that power over me anymore. I am free." He didn't sound as cold and conniving as he wanted but Stefan still wanted to shake him briskly.

Sometimes his brother was such an ass, thinking that no one noticed when he was hurt or sad. The shield he raised in front of him, and tried to convince the world was the real Damon, didn't fool Stefan. Both he and Elena had seen his tender side and it made them all the more frustrated that he couldn't just drop the evil act. The problem was that when Damon indulged in his vampire spirit people got hurt.

"Still... don't try anything stupid. We are watching her." Stefan warned and Damon snorted contemptuous.

"So much trouble for a little minx like her. Better watch her carefully. I might not be the only dangerous thing hunting her." He stood watching the girls and then turned on his heel. "I'll go find me an appetizer."

Stefan entered the kitchen in his usual soundless manner and was surprised to hear Elena laughing loudly. His love was not a loud person and he enjoyed the unusual noise. The two girls sat close together like they were already each other's confidents. Elena was telling Lea about all they had been through with Klaus and werewolves since she first met Stefan. Lea's eyes were big with amazement and she kept asking questions about it all. Elena was laughing at her because they were discussing vampire facts and compared them to Twilight and Van Helsing movies.

"I almost choked on my popcorn when I saw Twilight," Elena smiled. "How did they come up with Edward's diamond skin? Seriously! Vampires covered in glitter!" Lea held her sore stomach and attempted to control her laughter.

"That is hilarious! If Damon came to me twinkling like a disco ball, I think I would die with a sarcastic smile on my face."

"He is not going to kill you. But I actually don't think I would mind seeing Stefan all sparkly," Elena said pensively and jumped 2 feet up in the air when Stefan revealed his presence by clearing his throat.

"So.. sparkles Elena?" he humored. The dark-haired girl blushed violently. Lea bit her lip and thought of how sweet they looked.

"You go ahead and roll him in glitter," Lea said, "I am going to bed anyway."

"You ate already?" Stefan asked surprised.

"We decided to just stay in, and it's half past ten." Elena replied hiding behind her curtain of hair. "You always lose track of time hunting. Is Damon back too?"

"No I think he'll be gone all night."

Lea got up and sent them both a grateful smile. "Then I'll go to my room now. Thank you for everything."

When the couple was alone Stefan snatched her in his strong embrace and gave her a smug smile. "Well then miss Gilbert, got glitter?" he asked cheekily.


	4. Chapter 4

**I like the way the twilight/True blood/VD fans sort bitch about which is the best, so in this story there are some bad mouthing twilight - but don't take it the wrong way, because I am as addicted to Twilight as the next guy :)**

**In this chapter there's dancing involved and if you want to, you can listen to the waltz that I was inspired by while you read: The dark waltz by Hayley Westenra:  watch?v=XS-fBWGtd5s**

**And a special thanks to my beta on this chapter: NicoleSalvatore1918**

* * *

Lea couldn't sleep. The big house felt safe and silent inside and outside, no threatening clouds sailed the heavens. Elena and Stefan went to bed laughing and their voices sounded like the numb knocking of butterfly wings in the hallway. Lea sat on the windowsill with a steaming cup of tea staring into the night. It moved her that two strangers would offer their home and protection to her and she almost felt like crying.

She had been alone many times in her life and people she loved had a tendency to disappoint her. The road trip wasn't only a vacation, it was an escape from her life back in Denmark and her cell phone was deliberately packed away deep in her bag. She didn't have the guts to check her messages. The truth was; death didn't seem so scary when you were heartbroken. She had managed to put aside her problems by keeping busy, barely taking the time to breath.

The night before she had been blissfully exhilarated by her encounter with Damon and she had fallen asleep with his blue eyes piercing her thoughts. For the first time in a while she didn't feel like she was on the run, and though the sensation of a home was pleasant, it also gave her an awful quiet mind, where there was room for tormenting thoughts. Surrounded by people with friends and lovers she felt terribly alone.

She glanced at the talisman Bonnie had brought her before dinner and hung above the door. It was yet another act of kindness that had surprised her and she looked at the crystals and feathers feeling welcome.

The moon was rising outside and it spread its silver rays of light upon the ground. The trees became gothic shades like the frames of fairytale books and the grass glistened with dew. Lea wiggled her toes slightly, longing to run them through the lawn. She was hesitant remembering all the dangers Elena had told her the small town held; but the scenery below was so idyllic and alluring. In spite of an eventful day; she felt energized and the cool autumn night was calling her. The wind made strands of grass sway to the rhythm of her heart.

The stairs creaked as naked feet ran down them and shadows made the house seem crooked, leaning ever towards her. The garden door was unlocked and she slipped into the dew drops feeling free. Lea wanted to be happy and to forget all the hardships. Daringly, she let go of her night time kimono and leaped onto the grass illuminated by the moon.

Damon came home sooner than he had wanted. He had begun stalking a random girl, but when his chance came, he wasn't really hungry and her scent was so dull after he had met Lea. Irritated, he returned to the manor and was surprised when he noticed a pale figure running through the gardens as if music was controlling its feet. Silent as a cat, he walked closer and recognized Lea's curves and milk white skin. Unaware of his presence Lea continued dancing while Damon stood with a taunting grin on his face.

Slowly the grin vanished as he took in the mesmerizing sight. It seemed clumsy and faulty at first, she tripped more than once, and the wind blew hair into her mouth. But it changed imperceptibly into something inhuman, something soft, smooth and wild. Twirling and jumping, she began humming the tune of her dance, a melody that gave him goose bumps. It sounded like an Irish lullaby, composed by woodland creatures.

He could have sworn the grass was greener where her feet stepped and that the flowers opened themselves towards her though the sun was long gone. Her golden hair looked silver and her skin was like snow, warm snow that whirled between heaven and earth, never falling on the ground to melt. A sudden surge of lust emerged inside him, not for her blood, but for snow. He craved licking her crystal body until he would freeze, splinter and be snow as well.

The sound of a car interrupted her grace, and like a spell lifted, she was that fragile little twig of a human again, tempting him to test what it would take to snap her. Damon couldn't wrap his head around what had happened and only watched in silence as she tip toed back to the house.

It wasn't like him to feel all mushy and the new sensation disgusted him. Snow, ha! Ridiculous! Clearly the girl was delusional. Who in their right mind would run around naked in a garden in the middle of the night? Damon figured she was probably one of those over the top girly girls who cried to every TV show and enjoyed sharing her feelings all the time. The fierce defiant woman he had seen the previous night and this morning by the café was simply a happy hippie nut.

His mind was rambling on, but when she reached the door she turned and looked into the dark. Although darkness shrouded him, he felt like she was looking directly at him, and he recognized her strong shifting eyes, that definitely did not belong to a young girl.

Lea ran to her room and threw herself on the bed, smiling from ear to ear. She was out of breath and laughing at her own silliness. How wonderful it was to live in spite of everything.

...

The sun was merciless but Lea didn't notice. The archaeologists had not received the news of their new colleague well, especially when Mr. Walker told them she had found a skeleton. Therefore she didn't stop for lunch and coffee with the others, but remained crouched deeply concentrated the entire day. Sean brought her a bottle of water and joined her for an hour slowly brushing the sand aside. The others couldn't help stretching to see what she had found, however insulted they might be with her undeserved presence. Lea just enjoyed working again and felt dedicated to the bones before her.

In the afternoon an older woman with dusty hair found a remarkable brooch in gold that clearly was traditional Viking design and the entire group celebrated the find with a beer. In the enthusiastic moment they all forgot about Lea's intrusion and toasted with her to a successful dig. Sean couldn't conceal his joy and started singing some jazz song and most of the others joined in. Lea smiled but didn't move. She didn't have much of a singing voice and besides she was finding the bones in front of her very strange. They were much slimmer than any adult she had ever dug up, but taller than her. Sean came over to view her progress.

"What have we got?" he asked and tilted his head.

"I am not sure. It seems to be an adult female, maybe 25, decent preservation. She might have been sick; the bones are so thin compared to their length." He let his fingers run along the thigh bone considering her words.

"Maybe the circle construction is a burial chamber then? But you didn't find any grave goods, right?" Lea shrugged.

"There are only bones here. They could belong to a priestess of some kind. Let's hope she's hiding more clues." She waved her trowel and winked.

At 4 o'clock Sean decided to call it a day and they started covering the sensitive surfaces with tarpaulins. Lea was almost finished uncovering the skeleton and promised she would clean up after herself once she had finally brushed of the scull. The others said their goodbyes and she waved at them mindlessly, distracted by her work.

Her fingers came across a spot of dirt that felt different, like there was something hard underneath. Thinking that it could be yet another grave, she gently removed the soil, but then a strange light caught her eye. It was warm and yellow, like sunshine around equinox, and Lea eagerly dug it free.

She had never seen anything like it. It was a vial made from a single piece of quarts. Inside it was a liquid substance that seemed to have a life of its own, emitting a soft glow and she couldn't peel her eyes away from it. Even when she held the bottle steady the liquid inside moved slowly like thick lava. Her fingers quivered as it felt like something inside the vial vibrated and Lea realized that she had never found anything nearly this beautiful in the ground. It was astonishing that it hadn't broken after all those years.

"Lea?" Stefan called causing her to quickly slip the bottle into the pocket of her jacket. The second she felt the weight of it she knew she had done something wrong. An archaeologist would never remove something like that from the dig site, but she couldn't bring herself to put it back. Lea had never done anything like it before and dramatically imagined herself in an orange prison suit.

"I am down here" she yelled and almost shrieked in surprised when he ran to her in super speed. Instinctively, she grabbed the odd gem in her pocket, and wondered if she should just put it back. But she couldn't, and felt rather miserable.

"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you. Elena thought it best if I escorted you back." She breathed heavily to slow down her heart.

"That's sweet of her, but I reckon I'll be fine. I have my bike," she smiled and he smiled back.

"Alright, I need to go to the supermarket anyway. She still makes me do the shopping even if I don't need the food." Stefan tried looking very exhausted but failed.

"That's what you get for dating a human" Lea teased and started walking towards the bike. "We are frail little things that need stupid stuff like dinner and breakfast." She rolled her eyes. "Don't you just hate when it happens?"

"Yeah, but she probably thinks that I can shop a lot quicker than her, because of the vamp speed thing," he shrugged not looking overly excited.

"I was thinking about maybe cooking for you all tonight? Sort of a thank-you-dinner?"

"Elena would like that, I think," he said. "Anything I should buy for you?" She found some paper and scribbled down a list.

"Maybe we can ask Bonnie to come as well? It's so amazing to meet a real witch." Stefan bowed in a gentleman's gesture.

"How old-school," she giggled, "Elena certainly found a man from back when men were really men."

"And she is every bit a lady," he said with love in his eyes.

"You guys are so lucky. I wish I had your kind of love." Stefan sent her a curious glance.

"You don't have anyone back home?" he asked.

"It's... complicated," she ducked the question and put on the helmet. "I'll see you back home."

...

Bonnie arrived at the manor and was met by a cheerful Elena. Lea was in the kitchen rummaging around the cupboards trying to locate all the needed remedies.

"Hi, are you in here?" Bonnie greeted and made Lea bump her head on an open drawer above her. Rubbing her head she appeared from the depths of the kitchen.

"Good to see you again," she said through gritted teeth and waved a wooden ladle.

"Trying to cook up a family dinner are you?" the witch asked, letting her eyes wander over the kitchen table already covered in a mess of bowls and ingredients.

"Trying being the key word," Lea replied and attempted to get her messy hair in order. "I'm not the best or the most systematic cook, but I enjoy trying." Bonnie rolled up her sweater sleeves and took the vegetables to the sink.

"Even if it's an imperfect meal, it will be very appropriate for our imperfect family. A witch, 2 vampires and a couple of humans, talk about dysfunctional." Lea laughed quietly but then turned serious.

She went to her coat that was flung over a chair and pulled out the vial. Without even seeing what Lea was up to Bonnie froze as she felt a pulse of force stroking her neck.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie turned and Lea held up the quarts object for the witch to see.

"I found this at the excavation. It's very unusual." The glow it emitted was reflecting in Bonnie's brown eyes and as she walked closer it grew. "Is it..?"

"Magical?" Bonnie finished Lea's sentence. "You bet it is. But I have no clue how or what it is." She reached out and touched it and the tiniest spark was lit by the contact. Bonnie gasped and withdrew her hand. "I knew something was going to happen," she whispered and recalled her dream from the other night all too clearly.

"Do you think you can find out what it is? I kind of stole it from the dig," she looked exceedingly guilty. "All I know is that it's really old - like more than a thousand years. It was buried with this odd skeleton. I have never seen anything like it, definitely not your regular Viking."

"I'll do my best," Bonnie replied. "I bet my Grams has some books I could look through. If I find something, I'll call you right away." Lea clapped her back friendly and gently put the bottle in the pocket.

"Now, would you mind go helping Elena set the table? Stefan keeps distracting her." Bonnie lifted her eyebrows knowingly.

"Of course, I'll go whip her into gear," she said and left the kitchen.

Lea was in the best mood as she sliced some leeks and hummed a random tune. It felt nice to cook. She hadn't been doing much of it for a long time and she was never good at it. But it reminded her of her dad, when she was young and he taught her the basics like boiling rice. She quickly forgot about the strange bottle and her tongue snuck out between her lips as she focused on getting the recipe right. She could hear the voices from the dining room and they sounded happy and content.

"Didn't figure you were the house wife-y kind of girl," Damon suddenly spoke coldly and she turned to see he had entered through the kitchen door. Lea was too relaxed to get frightened and she knew her new friends were just in the other room. Still it was like the temperature dropped in the room and he was a wave of arrows blotting out the sun.

"You don't really know me," she replied and started cutting apples. He snorted.

"Indeed," he sent her a dark smirk and threw himself down on the chair by the window. "Then please enlighten me on this, which is surely, a thrilling life of yours. Are you like a modern female Indiana Jones, traveling the world, looking for handsome men to ravish and treasures to bring home to the museum?" Her face froze in an are-you-serious grimace.

"And you are a big bad bat, who feels the need to put everyone around him down to feel good about himself?"

"You got me there," he smiled. "There is one thing I don't get. You seem like a pretty lively person, you know, one of those who remember to count their blessings - making food for friends, traveling, digging for treasure - so why is it, that death scares you so little? You have a lot to lose." He briefly thought of last night and her dance through the garden which made him aware of her slightly visible cleavage.

"Maybe I am a believer in another life after this one?" She suggested. "It makes death less scary," Lea said detached. He bit his lip, once again revealing his fangs.

"Nope, that's not it," he replied flatly and slipped off the chair to waltz around her. "What are you afraid of then? What's your dirty little secret? I would love to know."

"I bet you would," she looked up at him with a defiant stare. He looked into her eyes again and leaned in close. "There are things that scare me more than death," she continued, "death makes life worth living. But I doubt an immortal like you could understand. It makes me sad for you." Damon breathed in her scent and sighed, irritated.

"You should run while you can." He tilted his head and was pleased to watch her anger mounding.

"I don't get threatened easily and I have known men that can do worse than bite me like a dog."

"Ruff" he barked. Lea swung back to the chopping board so hard, her hair hit him in the face. "I like your attitude, considering how feeble you are, compared to a vampire." She laughed harshly.

"Somehow I don't think I am the feeble one. If you are going to stand there like my bloody shadow, you might as well help me." She slammed a bowl down in front of him and pushed a book his way. "Make the cake on page 47," she ordered and worked the vegetables with her knife like they were Damon's fingers. He watched her in disbelieve, then looked at the recipe and snorted.

"Really? You want me to bake?" Damon couldn't figure her out. She merely nodded, stiffly. Damon did know how to cook, but it wasn't something he flaunted in public and he was pretty sure that apron and rolling-pin would ruin his image. Lea stared at him as he dubiously eyed the flour and eggs. She tried to conceal her amusement.

"What is it? You can't read or you can't follow some simple instructions?" Damon sent her killer eyes but she only put both hands on her hips like a strict mother. "You can't be so used to murdering that you forgot how to create something, can you?" she demanded with one eyebrow raised.

"Maybe. Maybe I'll feel like murdering something now instead," he shot back and grabbed an egg to crack it hard on the bowl.

Lea returned to her cutting and ignored him even though he started pouring other ingredients in the bowl with the egg. They stood silently working across from each other. Damon stole glances at her and wondered what she was thinking. She looked as if she had been painting with the food, with stains all over her clothing and her hair in a loose ponytail. When she leaned over the steaming pots on the stove, small curls tore themselves out of the constraining hair band and bounced with every step she took. The last times they met he had her full attention and it was strange watching her prepare the meal as if he wasn't there.

"You're starring," she told him without removing her eyes from her working hands. Damon stopped stirring and lifted his head.

"You are strange," he mocked and though she didn't put down the knife, she replied with a neutral voice:

"Why am I so strange to you, _vampire_?" He gave her a wicked smile.

"You seem practically impervious to my charm," she refused to look at him, "and you smell funny."

"Oh wow, that hurts," she chuckled sarcastically.

"Are you on some weird, only eat mushrooms or fibers diet?" She couldn't help but laugh at his question.

Compared to Stefan, Damon seemed so beastly. Stefan was polite in the traditional gentleman manner, but this vampire had a way of expressing himself that discarded inhibitions like only a child or an animal would. If he hadn't tried to eat her she actually would have liked his impulsive behavior and maybe even his looks.

She realized that he was handsome, but she couldn't really feel attracted to him when he was behaving like a total dick. He continued to appear as less of a threat to her to her, and more like a man with a chaotic life. Damon kept sending her these looks of mixed feelings; one minute blood thirsty, another curious. She was aware that his mood had shifted since they met at the café. The man standing before her in the kitchen wasn't as sure whether she was his prey anymore. His sharp icy stare gleamed with intelligence and Lea briefly thought about the conversations they could have shared if he was human. Lea enjoyed the company of someone who could challenge her and she realized that though he gave her the chills, she liked bickering with him. Now that she had survived meeting him and his brother for the third time, she relaxed a bit in his presence and even smiled slightly.

"What's so funny?" he immediately remarked.

"I was just thinking about your brother," she said and once again considered how very different those two were. Damon's face grew stone cold.

"Why am I not surprised? Saint Stefan always makes an impression on silly little girls," he sneered and suddenly ran around the table in vampire speed, only to grab her by the neck.

"I am not a little girl," she whispered without the confidence she had hoped to master. Lea felt him ooze with malice and couldn't fathom the change from his prior quiet insolence. It obviously upset him that she mentioned his brother and she was horrified that she had misjudged him; believing she had figured him out and that he wasn't that dangerous. His body leaned heavily towards her and the strong fingers drilled their way into her throat.

"It wasn't my plan to kill you tonight, but you don't want to push your luck," he smirked sniffing her like a wolf. Bitterness welled up inside of her, and she almost felt like crying.

"I already told you, I'm. Not. Scared." She breathed.

"That's a lie, Lea," he released her as sudden as he had grabbed her. "But you do have a concept of death that I appreciate."

"Ouch!" she cried when the knife she had held in her hand slipped out of her grip and sliced her finger. Damon watched her as she looked at the blood, then at his protruding fangs, then back on the blood. Her eyes flickered nervously and then she collapsed onto the floor.

_What the fuck! _

Damon stared at her lifeless body. He had done everything to scare the life out of her without much effect, and then she passes out because of a few drops of blood? Her face was pale like she was dead and his sensitive nostrils was enticed by the scent from the knick. What a captivating smell. He realized that the foreign odor that had dominated her skin ever since he first saw her was coming from her blood. Only on rare occasions did he feel this famished when he caught the scent of a prey; but the mere sight of her unusual blood made him growl with desire. Slowly, hypnotically, he lifted her finger to his lips and licked the delightful liquid off of her fingertips.

It was like an explosion went off on his tongue. Fire burned his palate while the sweet and sour tastes fought each other and Damon felt dizzy. His head was buzzing with weird scenery, green woods and seemingly bottomless lakes. Leaves in all colors rained before his eyes and the smell of the wet forest floor penetrated his lunges.

"Damon, you idiot," Elena shrieked mortified and pushed him aside. His limbs were tingling and he allowed her to run to Lea. Stefan was over him in no time, dragging him into the living room.

"I didn't do anything to her, she just passed out," he croaked but put up with Stefan's harsh handling as he was thrown onto the couch.

"How come I don't really believe that?" Stefan sighed and left to check with the girls.

"I am okay," Lea stammered and gratefully took the drink of water Bonnie offered. "I cut myself with the knife. Ever since I was little I can't remember ever getting a nosebleed, 'cause I always fainted when I saw the blood." Elena giggled relieved.

"So he didn't touch you?" Bonnie asked skeptically.

"Not this time," Lea admitted and fought her way into an upraised position. "How long was I passed out for? Is the food done?" she asked quickly as Elena helped her on her feet.

"Only 5 minutes," they assured her.

Damon sat very still trying to figure out what had happened. That little taste of her blood had flushed through his system and felt like something resembling a heartbeat. It was only one drop, and his mouth was burning in a delightful way. Who was this woman? Certainly she wasn't all human. He turned his head and tried to detect her scent through the wall. Now he needed to solve her mystery more than ever. Rising, he and applied his most courteous smile.

The dinner was an odd affair. Lea finished the meal with some help and Damon acted like a proper gentleman. Elena, Stefan and Bonnie sat with jaws dropped the entire time while Damon charmed Lea, asking her about her trip, her education and her hobbies. Lea was filled with awkward tension and half expected him to tip over the table and rip her to pieces. She answered his many questions like she was being interrogated hoping that the others would interrupt or change the subject. Lea really didn't like being the center of attention and like a deer caught in Damon's headlights she was cold to her very core.

"A walk in the woods can be wonderful at this time of year," he cooed and generously filled their glasses with wine. "A perfect place to mold things over, and recuperate." Even if Damon hated the concept of small-talking he mastered it to perfection and it amused him to see their clueless faces. Although she was clearly uncomfortable, he found that Lea spoke with optimism about almost everything. She was so strong and stubborn when she was around him, but in her words he recognized the spark of love to life that made her death indifference so curious.

They spoke until Bonnie started yawning loudly. She didn't like Damon's charades but tried to endure it for Lea's sake. Besides he asked some interesting questions about her that Bonnie would like to know the answer to. Considering Lea's casual reaction to Bonnie's magic, the witch wasn't surprised to hear that she was interested in paganism.

"This tasted great, Lea. I love the rhubarb pie," Bonnie said politely as she rose from the table. "But I have something I need to read up on tonight." Lea got up to hug her.

"I feel like the conversation was all about me," Lea apologized but Bonnie just shrugged.

"It's a lot more interesting than listening to Damon talking about himself," she sent him a suspicious glance and he returned it with a confident smile. Elena and Stefan offered to clear the table and Lea escaped up into her room, very baffled with Damon's behavior.

She opened the door and felt blissfully at home in the small bedroom. The evening hadn't turned out exactly as she had hoped, but in spite of Damon's weirdness, it was nice to have dinner with friends. She figured she could rest, maybe read a book, but a few knocks on the door made her sigh. It wasn't even necessary to open it for her to know that it was that dark vampire again.

"What do you want?" she asked as he greeted her with a calculating smile.

"Good evening to you too, miss Fayal. I simply wanted to thank you for dinner."

"Damon, you're not that nice, what do you want?" she enquired relentless. He tried to step across the threshold but seemed surprised when a guarding force prevented him. The charmed talisman was dangling above them and he sent it an annoyed glance.

"Bonnie made a home within a home; she never ceases to get on my nerves. So I guess you have to invite me before I can enter your room then?" he snickered.  
"Yes, she thought I could use the protection. So? What. Do. You. Want?"

"You really don't trust me yet?" he asked amused. Lea crossed her arms defensively. She hated that she couldn't read his intentions.

"I am not really sure what to think of you. I was never good at seeing through peoples games." He slid his fingers nonchalant through his raven hair.

"A shame, because I love to play." The devious glint in his eyes made her step closer.

"So I've noticed. And I don't suppose you plan on telling me the point of your game? Because I am really tired of guessing."

"No not really, you should know by now that I don't kiss and tell. It's a nifty little spell Bonnie gave you," he admitted and pressed his finger against the invisible barrier.

"Guess you'll just have to wait until I come to you." They stared into each other's eyes moving as daringly close to the border as possible.

"Spell or no spell, you are pretty naive to move in with an aggressive vampire," he shrugged.

"Aggression is most often a mean for self-preservation. Both Elena and Stefan seem to like you in spite of all the - pardon my French - shit you do. So I am guessing you are not always such a devil." It seemed odd to hear her use bad language but it only made him grin like a demon.

"I thought I behaved like a charmer tonight," he said and smoothed the grey shirt he was wearing.

"You did, but a charmer with an ulterior motive. I like it better when people are straight with me," she brushed him off.

"And yet you are so evasive yourself," Damon retaliated.

"What do you mean?" Lea said offended.

"Can you never say anything negative? It's like you're retarded or something, not clever enough to run when a hunter aims his gun between your eyes? Like a Barbie doll, who thinks that everything is just dandy!"

"I don't find you dandy" she snorted, certain that he was only trying to provoke her.

"No because I am a jerk to you openly. Tonight you made it sound like your life was so peachy and you just couldn't wait to see what tomorrow will bring, even if it brings your death."  
"Just because I am not talking trash to everyone I meet? I am a happy person because I choose to be. Life holds so many wonderful things, so even when my own life isn't peachy - and trust me, it isn't - I hold on to the positive stuff, and I teach myself to trust again." Damon was tempted to laugh at her insisting features.

"You don't look very trusting behind that spell," he smirked.

"How about now?" Slowly she took a step forward pushing her chest against his. His ice blue eyes were gleaming with amusement. "Still want to drink me?" she sneered and tipped her head so her neck was exposed.

"You offering?" he breathed onto her skin so goose bumps arose.

"See! You're doing it again. You can't give a straight answer to any question. Why do you have to act like you are a riddle?" she asked mockingly. Damon frowned.

"And you don't act like one big secret? Not one thing you told us tonight got me any closer to knowing who you are Lea. I learned more about you watching you dance two minutes last night than I did talking to you for hours today." Her face turned a warm pink.

"You saw that?" she whispered embarrassed. She imagined his hungry eyes in the shadows raping the sight of her. Somehow this was much worse than being shoved and threatened. The thought of being so naked and open in front of a man like Damon made her insides squirm. She felt angry and invaded and had a sense of losing the shield and sword guarding her from him.

Damon watched her emotional silence and found it enticing. He had always admired women who played it cool. They were like marble temples, towering above all else, aspiring to be admired and adored. The kind of women you would offer daily tribute to honor them.

Lea however was glorious in her emotion. Even when embarrassed her colorful eyes were penetrating his brain. She wasn't a cold temple. She was a force of nature. The marble temples had strong foundations, but Lea was the earth quake to break the ground beneath. Damon had the strangest vision of her, wearing a Grecian peplos dress and naked feet, treating the land with all the force of a goddess.

He didn't know where the vision came from and preferred to forget it right away. It was nothing but a distraction.

Lea was struggling to decide whether or not to slam the door in his face or to just cry from humiliation.

"You know, you have nothing to be ashamed of," he heard himself say with an uncharacteristically soft voice. She looked at him like she didn't trust her ears. Lea had half expected him to tell her that she had ugly breasts or some other grim comment.

"Why didn't you make your presence known?" she asked quietly.

"Maybe I was enjoying your dance," he smirked.

"What do you know about dancing?" she retorted. Damon lifted a dark eyebrow challengingly.

"Care to find out?" He offered her his hand but she hesitated a while until finally accepting it. Before she could protest he had lifted her up, piggyback style, and ran down the stairs so fast her eyes watered.

...

The Grill was empty at this late hour on a regular Monday, and the bartender was already cleaning and preparing to close early. Lea was certain that her hair was a monstrous mess after the run, and she ran her fingertips through it, making sure the Frankenstein's bride style got combed away. Using a vampire for transportation was a cold affair when wearing nothing but Elena's borrowed blue evening dress.

Damon didn't seem to notice her shivering as he sat her back down on the ground and opened the door to the grill. Lea was grateful for the warmth that greeted her and she went straight to the bar to order a beer. The bartender, a young man with tired red eyes, sighed imperceptibly and handed her a green bottle.

The empty Grill had an almost spooky atmosphere without the billiard players, flirting couples, and high school students. She reckoned the place usually was wonderfully lively but when the only company was a sleepy bartender and a vampire with mood swings she would rather be back at the Boarding House.

Damon was standing by the jukebox rolling up his shirt sleeves with forceful control. His dark clothing and hair was such a contrast to the bright skin and eyes, like the moon clouded in darkness.

Although she studied him closely his features were more concentrated than evil and Lea wondered about his motives. Was there a heartless beast inside of him poisoning him? A beast that slumbered in moments like these, where he seemed to genuinely want to dance? Or it could be that he simply was a black hearted guy with no tenderness left. Elena spoke fondly, even lovingly, about the dark Salvatore brother and Lea was searching hard to see the qualities in him that her new friend hinted at.

The music started in a mere whisper, slithering towards her like flames. His gaze was strong as he gently took her hand and twirled her into position. The fragile female voice singing had an immediate effect on her. There was an overwhelming sadness in the music, reminding her of all the heart ache she had ever experienced.

Damon's face was motionless as he led her backwards in one fluent confident step. She felt how he steered her into a wild yet quiet pace, and once again his presence likened that of an angel of death. His lips were tightly pressed together, his brow furrowed with either anger or anguish. Lea followed him easily, slipping silently into a dreamlike state, where the music, the vampire and the waltz intoxicated her mind like Russian vodka. The soft turns made her dress lift up, until it was transformed into raven wings, and she was dressed in a blurry night's freedom. Instead of fighting the haze, she couldn't help leaning towards it and it welcomed her. In the haunting minutes, Lea's mind left her body.

He saw her eyelids shut close and the full length of her neck so deliciously exposed to him because she leaned back in perfect position and trust. If there ever was a time to bite her, this was it. She wouldn't even protest.

Damon could still feel the tingling sensation from that small taste earlier, maybe even stronger than before. She was a rainforest of scents wrapped in skin and hair. His mind was racing. She was so tempting, yet something was holding him back.

They were still waltzing, hovering, floating. Howcome every time he heard her heart dancing something echoed inside his own chest? It was a whimper compared to the pounding he had felt when he was human, but it was there. It was there... And he wanted it to continue. It was a drop of water to quench his thirst that had lasted centuries and with every tune of the song, every happy beat of Lea's heart, he felt more alive. The magic was a maelstrom that sucked him into his own seductive act and they waltzed as if they were nothing but soul against soul.

The song ended and the mist of life and death lifted. Lea ripped herself from the embrace not sure what to feel and took refuge in her beer by the counter. Damon stood where she left him, slightly touching his chest, lost in thought. Thoughts about Elena. He thought he had managed to bury his bleeding love six feet under, but the music, Lea's touch and a reminder of a heart beat had somehow unblocked the barrier he had created inside. The heart break he had rejected was scourging his lunges till he was exhaling ashes. Why couldn't Elena love him? How did it happen that a foolish prey, like Lea, made him feel distraught and vulnerable? Suddenly he hated her. He hated that strange scent of hers, her strong attitude, and her wild emotions that somehow was transmitted to him, like a disease.

Damon raised his chin and sent her a freezing stare. Lea caught it and didn't know what to make of it. Though she wasn't surprised that his mood kept changing - that seemed to be the pattern - Lea thought she had felt him lean gently against her during the dance. His coldness felt misplaced after such an act of intimacy. The beer was a welcome distraction and she emptied it in one go. Lea noticed the bartender's dull look, and reality crawled back under her skin.

"I am pretty clumsy, but I think that waltz went well," she said to kill the silence. Her voice snapped him out of his frozen state and Damon regained his superior posture. After all she was nothing but a human he could have some fun with.

"Your waltz was, well... slightly handsome," he humored coldly and rewarded him with a surprised smile.

"Aha, so you do have a sense of humor? And what are you talking about? I'm the freaking Gene Kelly of dancing." Lea tapped her foot demonstratively.

"Technically Gene Kelly wasn't human," he cut her off.

"You're kidding me?"

"Nope. Apparently several Hollywood Stars are on the vampire diet. Must be the whole forever young and beautiful side effect," Damon said nonchalantly and brushed his shoulders for imaginary dust.

"Why am I not that surprised," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Who else is on _the diet_?" He sent her a look like he guarded a glamorous secret.

"You know that girl Kirsten Steward, from that _ridiculous_ Twilight movie?"

"What about her?" she asked intrigued.

"Rumor has it she has been obsessed with vampires since her role in the film. A number of high profile vampires have been contacted by her, because apparently she would like them to turn her. So far she hasn't been successful," he replied and failed to suppress a dark grin.

"That's ironic. It's hard to get a VIP pass for that club," she giggled.

"For some," he said eying her in a disturbing manner.

"What? Are you considering asking me to join?" she asked barely masking her concern.

"I rarely _ask_ anyone for anything." Damon made his voice darker and approached her slowly.

"You are the one man in the world who makes me wish I could read minds," she muttered trying not to appear timid.

"It's all a part of my charm," he spoke, letting her know he could register even a whisper.

"I suppose. But don't you ever get tired of it being Damon versus the world?" Damon merely snorted.

"Baby I was born this way," he growled. "Now shut up and dance with me. What other dances do you know?"

"Jive and the Cha-cha. I took some lessons with an ex some years ago. And I belly danced for six month once but I guess it's not a guy thing," she winked at him and resisted a laugh at the thought of Damon shaking his hips like a Bollywood actress.

"You're a real world woman, aren't you?"

"Maybe. I do like to try new things and I hate to get stuck somewhere too long. Birds and cages you know. Never was good a finishing things," she admitted.

"That explains your sloppy dancing," he smirked.

"Says the vampire who can spend all eternity practicing. Not really a fair comparison," she protested. He simply steered her towards the jukebox and parked her by it while he searched for a new song.

It was weird spending time with a blood thirsty vampire, and even weirder realizing she liked it. It had been a while since she last danced and she felt rusty, but when his strong hand guided her it was easy. Who knew dancing with death could make her feel so alive.

"Last dance!" the bartender announced and Damon let out an annoyed growl. In less than a second, he was standing in front of the man starring deep into his eyes.

"Give us your key and go home," he hissed.

"Damon!" Lea exclaimed with a motherly undertone.

"You'll find the key underneath the flowerpot outside tomorrow," he added and pointed demandingly towards the door. The big man obeyed with an empty expression on his face.

"What was that?" Lea asked.

"Another vampire trick. Want to try? Lea, pour me a drink, bourbon on the rocks."

"Pour your own drink Damon," she barked and crossed her arms defensively. Damon stared at her like she had slapped him and she looked angry and nervous about the bartender's departure. He stepped closer and with a powerful hand he grabbed the back of her head and forced her close while he studied her eyes.

"What's the matter? Doesn't your trick work on me?" His face had grown cold and calculating.

"Have you been taking vervain?" he questioned flatly. She shook her head confused.

"I don't know what that is. Some sort of medication?" she asked, disliking his cruel tone.

Damon's mind was racing. Who could have given her vervain? Probably Stefan that nosey git, or maybe Elena if she recalled the time when Damon attempted to manipulate her and was preventing him from doing the same to Lea. Or maybe there was something special in that delicious blood of hers.

"Why did you make the bartender leave?" her question yanked him out of his thoughts.

"You heard him. He wanted us to go home. I am not ready to leave," Damon shrugged.

"I don't want to dance any more. Take me home." Her eyes were a sad shade of green. It was unusual for anyone to demand anything of Damon. Elena and Stefan asked him to do stuff all the time and he consequently did the exact opposite. An unexpected cringe of desperation went through his stomach. He was the one in control. It was he who hated her. But he wanted that waltz repeated, to feel that faint echo of a human heart.

Lea was feeling sick. She was absolutely disgusted by his manipulative skills. It was one thing that he could kill people, she could handle death, but this..

"If you want to leave, go!" Damon finally hissed.

"You brought me here remember? It's a long walk home," she protested and started for the door expecting him to follow. The shine from the streetlight revealed a curtain of glittering raindrops and she stopped by the threshold. All the streets were abandoned and she turned to look at Damon. His jaw was tense and his eyes were unforgiving.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked. Lea could tell he wasn't going to help her.

"You are more human than I thought," Lea wrinkled her nose contemptuous. "Vampire or not, you are a self-serving coward. You don't have the guts to be nice and you are hiding behind your fangs." Then she resolutely slammed the door and walked into the rain.

Damon watched her leave, and getting soaked almost instantly. He was pretty sure that he had finally ticked her off, but he wasn't sure how to feel about the success.


	5. Chapter 5

Bonnie came to the excavation around lunchtime carrying a stack of papers under her left arm. She found Lea covered in mud, with dirt on her face and hair. It had been raining all night and all morning, till the dig site was nothing but a big arena for mud wrestling. Simply moving 10 feet could take several minutes and many had lost a boot or two.

Lea had just fought her way up on the grass as Mr. Walker decided they were currently destroying more than they were uncovering. Sean sat beside Lea and Bonnie saw them laughing out loud together. The head of the excavation was too old for Bonnie to really be attracted to him, but he did have some rocket features and a muscular body she admittedly found to be handsome.

"You wouldn't believe how much mud I found in my socks and pants that night," Sean sighed with a smile and Lea was giggling knowingly. Then she noticed Bonnie and quickly excused herself.

"Hi you, I can tell by your face that you've found something about that magical bottle of ours," Lea greeted excited.

"And I can see you've found a new friend," Bonnie grinned and gave Lea a wink. The Danish girl blushed slightly.

"Oh yes. He's been nothing but nice to me."

"I bet!" Bonnie giggled, "a bit older than you though."

"Well I have a thing for older guys," she humored, "Anyway, I'm not looking for a love connection right now. It was never even the plan to stay _this_ long in Mystic Falls," she stated and quickly changed the subject; "but you found something?" the witch patted the papers proudly.

"Indeed, can we go somewhere dry?" she asked peeking out from underneath her umbrella and confirmed that there was nothing but grey clouds on the horizon.

Lea changed into a pair of clean pants and they went to sit at the Grill. Bonnie wondered why Lea couldn't take her eyes off the jukebox in the corner, but ordered two coca colas and started spreading her findings over the table. Lea was skimming them for information. Most of the pages had no text but old woodcuts, drawings and paintings. Bonnie grabbed a photograph and handed it over.

"At first I couldn't find anything. It was so frustrating… Not one book mentioned anything about a flask made entirely from rock crystal. I gave up and turned on the TV instead, but I fell asleep. When I woke up a new program had begun, a documentary about Chinese calligraphy and when I was just about to turn it off, this old document popped up on the screen."

Bonnie pointed to the beautiful Chinese ink drawing of a woman bending over a man dressed in armor and covered in wounds. Their tranquil faces both turned to look at a remarkable bottle in her hands. From the bottle poured a green drop and Lea gingerly touched the picture breathlessly as she saw how the bottle resembled the one she had back at the manor.

"How does a Chinese magic bottle turn up in America, in a Viking settlement?" she asked, baffled. Bonnie shrugged.

"I can't answer that. But I think I can tell you what kind of magic it contains. My Chinese is like none existent, but Granny used this symbol when she made healing spells." The witch circled one of the symbols with a pen. "I am guessing that whatever is in that flask mends wounds," she said with confidence and gestured to the woman and the man.

"You're probably right," Lea nodded, "but it looks like the content is green, not reddish like the one I found." Bonnie squinted and bit her lip.

"Maybe the one you found is old and changed color? You see these symbols?" she drew another circle around five symbols in a black square close to the woman's face. "They looked central to the drawing so I have been hitting Chinese chat websites to ask if someone could translate them for me and finally found a guy who wrote me the pronunciation and meaning." Her red eyes were clear evidence for a long night and Lea was touched that the pretty witch cared enough to work that hard for her.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me. It's amazing that you found someone to translate it."

"Trust me, I have my own selfish reasons," Bonnie replied. "Elena and Stefan have dragged me into nerve-wracking mysteries, but Mystic Falls has been quiet for a while and I miss it. Anyway this guy wrote that the symbols sound something like: Lüsè xiêyè," she almost choked on the words and Lea couldn't help laughing.

"And what does it mean?" Bonnie made a dramatic swing with her arm like she was presenting a show.

"Green Blood," her eyes sparkled. "I tried searching for those words instead of quartz flask and you won't believe all that I found." She glided her hands across the many pictures on the table showing her results. "That strange object of yours turns up all over the world. Greenland on ornamented bear bones and ancient Greece in particular." Bonnie dug up another photograph with a marble goddess holding the exact same bottle. "I couldn't find any evidence that one of these vials has ever been found by archaeologists before, but the mythical art of the ancient world depicts it over and over again."

Lea had grown pale hearing the news. She regretted taking it from the grave and considered smuggling it back right away. No one would be surprised if the heavy rain and mud had concealed it.

"It's unbelievable Bonnie. Can I take all these with me?"

"Of course. I have extra copies at home. I think you've stumbled upon something extraordinary and I'll keep reading, but what are you going to do with it?" the witch questioned.

"I really don't know. Obviously it's a valuable archaeological object. You tell me it's also magical and I have no clue how to handle magic! Damon is the first supernatural being I've ever met and then there's you, but if I really have found something that heals wounds, that's the greatest discovery I've ever made, and I am not sure if I should tell anyone about it." Bonnie patted her comfortingly.

"We'll think about it. I'm sure you'll come up with a good solution. Where do you keep it now?" Lea was glad she had Bonnie's experienced witchcraft on her side. She would never have figured this out on her own.

"I put it in my room. The spell you gave me worked perfectly by the way. No vampire can get in. It really pissed Damon off when he found out." Bonnie chuckled delighted.

"He hates it when someone beats him at his own game," she rejoiced and Lea sighed.

"I'm getting pretty tired of his games. He constantly looks at me like he would love to eat me and then he'll suddenly act nice. Last night he took me waltzing and then he made me walk home in the rain. I was so cold when I got back and he decided to speed home so he could receive me with a disdainful _hello_ in his dry clothes." Bonnie frowned.

"He danced with you?" she asked with an odd smile. "Well I never could figure him out, but Elena used to be in love with him, so I guess she sees something I don't."

"Elena? But she and Stefan look so happy together." Lea gawked.

"They are happy now. Damon almost broke them up though. The weird thing is I don't think he did it out of spite. He really loved her," Bonnie said and started gathering the papers in front of her.

"He doesn't strike me as a guy who can love anyone," Lea replied harshly and recalled his arctic eyes. Bonne drank the rest of her soda and gave her a tired glance.

"Why do you even care? Maybe Damon was good and happy once, but now there's only bitterness left. Whatever he's doing to you, it probably comes from cruel intentions. He has forgotten how to be human."

"You really don't like him, do you?" Lea asked her.

"I don't hate him. He has even saved the day a couple of times, but when he turns up trouble always seems to follow. Like last night when you tried to make a nice dinner for friends. He comes along and makes us all feel awkward. Damon likes to mess with Elena and now you too, and it ticks me off." Bonnie's cheeks were slightly heated and Lea wondered what he had put her through to make her temper flare whenever his name was mentioned.

"I'd just like to survive here long enough to solve this mystery about the Green Blood," Lea smiled and took the pile from Bonnie. "And I think he would have killed me by now if he really wanted to."

"Maybe," the witch mumbled and peeked at her clock. "I'll call you if I find anything more, but I've got to run - I have a hot date," she giggled and made sure her hair behaved.

"Okay, I think I'll stay and look these over," Lea waved goodbye absent-mindedly.

The afternoon went by fast while Lea looked through more than 200 photos and studied each one meticulously. This green blood sure had traveled far. She wasn't surprised to see that in most of the photos the flask was held by a beautiful person or god, but how was it related to a Viking funeral in Mystic Falls? It seemed to her that a magical object like that was too valuable to just burry.

The dead woman definitely played a part in this. It was hard to read much in the bones though, except that the woman had a strange physique. If only Lea could figure out how she died then perhaps that would provide some clarity. She would have to go and look the skeleton over again.

It had been extracted from the ground by prying a plate underneath it and then lifting it up, so they wouldn't disrupt the order of the bones. She decided to walk over to the temporary sheds where they had taken the corpse and she neatly placed Bonnie's research in a plastic bag.

The light was dim in the small room, so she took a flashlight from the lockers and started going over the bones. First thing that came to mind was the tall slimness of the entire body. _Geeze, she must have looked like a human giraffe, _Lea mused and carefully ran the light along it trying to locate any unhealed cuts.

When she reached the skull she found herself staring into the empty eye sockets like she was hoping to see a glimpse of the soul that once was. The bottle had been found just beside the skull and Lea bent forward to check the other side. Something was seriously wrong with the entire skeleton but she just couldn't put a finger on it. Why was this woman so special that she should have that powerful a gift with her in the grave?

Lea pressed her fingers against her temples brainstorming associations with magical objects. The only thing she could think of was that items of divine character were often destroyed or disposed of because of their great power and humans feared they could not control it. It was a common assumption in the Scandinavian archaeology that ancient people found mystery dangerous and attempted to "kill" the object to remove the power. Perhaps the woman had been in control of the flask, and when she died it was too dangerous not to bury it with her?

This was the curse and the blessing of her profession. You could never be completely certain that your theories was true, because there was no one alive you could ask. Right now that uncertainty was driving her mad and she was wishing more than ever for a time machine so she could solve this matter. Seeing as the flashlight couldn't find something out of the ordinary she put it aside and started gliding her fingertips over the surface of the bone. It had brought her luck in the past, to forget about seeing what was almost invisible and to rely on her touch instead.

"Green blood," she mumbled mystified. What kind of potion could have been so revered all over the world? Was it a special witches' elixir like the ones Bonnie's Grandma brewed?

Suddenly she felt her fingertips cross over a small depression in the bone and then yet another one. They were almost imperceptible, but they were there. Agitated Lea grabbed the flashlight again and pointed it at the neck vertebra where she had felt them. They were caused by something that barely had graced the surface, but the bone around the edges of the small holes had not begun to heal, which meant they had been given around the time of death.

Lea felt a rush in her stomach and imagined herself wearing one of those FBI forensic coats. Maybe the woman had died by those little stings in her neck? She placed two fingers on the marks and then froze with a staggering suspicion.

The damage was a perfect fit to a vampire bite.

"Dead people always seem to be smiling," he breathed into her ear and she flew away from the table, her heart beating violently in her chest. Damon's face was shining with dark amusement. He had decided to look for her, just to let her know that she was never safe from him even when she was angry with him. "I came to thank you for the dance last night."

"Oh you mean the dance where you got mad at me afterwards and made me walk home in the rain?" she scoffed and regained her pride.

"You were the one who wanted to leave," he stated detached and went to touch the skeleton on the table.

"Yes, because you were behaving like a manipulative ass," she slapped his hand away.

"Lea, Lea. You're usually so calm and great at ignoring me. What's with the temper?" he reached out and with a deliberate challenging look started touching the bones again. She couldn't find an appropriately sly response and resolved to just slapping his hand again. "So this is the gang you like to hang with then?" he smirked and eyed the skeleton.

"She's better company than you are, and why are you even here?" Lea retorted and decided to go outside in the mist before Damon tested her patience further by destroying the bones.

"Why don't you just admit that you are getting addicted to me?" his playful lips asked. Lea took a deep breath and came to the conclusion that _she_ needed to throw _him_ off, just once.

"You're right Damon," she sighed attempting to mask her sarcasm. "The more I see of your stern fit body and listen to your teasing sexy voice I am driven into a craziness that devours me." She was pleased to see that he was standing very still, not really knowing how to tackle this new mood of hers. Lea looked him dead in the eye and tilted her with an airy moan. "Just imagine the sex you and I could have," she whispered and with a firm hand pushed him hard up against the shed. "We would wrestle like waves, foaming and steaming," her lips were parted inviting and her breath grew ragged. "And I would make you roar louder than the stormy sea, and have you treat me like a secret lover."

His blue eyes were studying her soft movements as she leaned so close that her warm gasps crashed against his mouth. "You would make me forget that I was ever innocent. You would have me fall irreversibly in love with you." The moment was electric and Lea felt remorseful when she realized that she was turning herself on as well. His ever mysterious facial expression and intense presence suddenly made it not so hard to imagine facing before a consuming kiss. She was as close to him as she could be without touching.

"Lea?" Sean's voice sounded and Lea withdrew from Damon fast. Soon Sean appeared around the corner. Damon looked as if he was staring angrily into the sun without his ring, but the archaeologist didn't notice. Lea was blushing and the human thought he'd caused it.

"Are you busy?" he asked sending Damon a brief look and she shook her head violently. "I just figured that since I am not working the rest of the day, you could share your thoughts on our excavation so far?" Lea liked the man. His grey eyes and red-brown hair gave ham a handsome look and she tried to overlook how few buttons held his green shirt together. His intelligence appealed to her, but she was very aware that Damon was standing close by.

"Sure, I'll see you later Damon," she said in assumed cheerfulness and walked with Sean towards the Grill. The vampire followed their retreat with a smoldering stare. What was that nerd thinking targeting his prey? He could smell the man's intentions from miles away and Damon felt like a wolf whose territory had been breached. She was just a foolish little human, but she was _his_ chew toy, and he didn't like to share.

Of course her flirting had been an act but for the first time Damon craved something other than her blood.

...

It was dark when Lea finally decided to head home. Sean offered to take her to dinner, but she refused him immediately. However pleasant she found him, she didn't want him to think it was a date and she didn't want anything to do with romance at the moment. While thinking this was not the time to get involved, Damon popped into her head uninvited with his devilish grin and dressed in that dark fitted t-shirt that suited him so well.

Sean was openly disappointed by her rejection but graced her with a kiss on the palm of her hand when she decided to depart. Lea clenched her jaw and forced herself not to think about the chaos in her life that prevented her from loving such a gesture. This journey was the best thing she had ever done, but it couldn't block out those memories that haunted her every move.

Only when Damon's complicated personality was near she actually lost that ghost of her recent past and could indulge in the challenge he offered that might wear her out but admittedly made her feel like she was in a blast of a bull riding contest.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter and I promise you a lot of danger and action in the two up coming chapters. **

**Please review if you like my story, it's always a great inspiration to know that someone is reading (loving or hating) your work.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chapter :) I am going to be a bit busy with school the next coming weeks, but I do have one more chapter ready for you soon. **

* * *

The house was dark when she drove up to the garage but strangely enough the front door stood wide open. She parked the bike and slowly approached the building. Could Elena have left it open when she got home with the groceries? But then the light would surely be lit in the hallway. Neither Stefan's nor Damon's car were parked in the garage but Elena's bicycle leaned against the wall by the entrance.

Old houses always had a creepy vibe when no one was home. The wooden floor creaked even when no one was walking over it and the old dramatic furniture cast monstrous shadows. Lea had no issues handling a head on attack, but she felt like a chicken when she had the suspicion of walking into an ambush or when she woke at night because of an unfamiliar noise. Maybe Damon was trying to break her by jumping her when she walked in and that thought made her stubborn.

She stepped into the dark and suddenly realized how very new she was to the place. In her old apartment she knew where everything was and navigated effortlessly with her eyes shut, but the Salvatore Manor was a stranger's body in the darkness.

Slowly she got accustomed to the lack of light and the contours of the room emerged. A thin line of worry grew on her brow when she recognized the outline of a chair lying on the floor like it had been tipped over. All her muscles tensed up and she concentrated hard on hearing whether someone else was in the house.

She almost screamed out loud when the crashing sound of broken glass splintered the silence. The noise came from upstairs and Lea jumped behind a bookshelf instinctively, her heart pounding in her chest. All the bones in her body trembled; that racket couldn't be normal.

Lea had heard that armed robberies were more common in the States and she was trying to stay as still as possible. She reached for her cellphone and quickly texted Elena that someone was breaking into the house. The familiar *blip* sound from Elena's cell rang loud and clear through the old house and Lea froze with terror when she heard it.

The next thing happened so fast that afterwards Lea figured she hadn't exhaled until it was over. Running feet above her thundered in an indefinite direction - and then a gunshot resounded. Elena's cry was a knife in Lea's brain.

Some tall man dressed all in black came hurrying down and passed her by inches, never noticing the blond girl pressed tightly against the wall. The second he left through the front door Lea ran towards Elena's painful shouts, so fast she almost fell flat on her face.

"Elena, where are you?" she shouted and stumbled into the big bedroom. Blood had colored the white rug and Elena lay clutching her stomach. Lea flipped the light switch and was stricken with nausea instantly. The sickly smell of iron filled her nose and she threw herself on her knees and used her jacket to press against the wound. Elena whimpered, her eyes flashing feverishly.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god - Elena stay with me. I'm so sorry I texted you. I never thought he would hear it," she sobbed brushing Elena's hair from her face with an already bloody hand. The dark-haired girl was quickly losing her warm almond skin color, and her lips were quivering as if they were trying to talk but failing.

"Elena, I don't know the American emergency number, please, you need to stay awake." Lea held the jacket tightly against the bleeding and started searching Elena's pockets for her phone. She found it and frantically scrolled through the contacts without finding a doctor. Instead she called Stefan and waited anxiously for him to pick up.

"Hi honey, what's..."

"Stefan, it's Lea. Elena is hurt, a burglar shot her. Please hurry!" she wanted to ask him for the hospital phone number but he was already gone. The blood continued to pump out and the jacket was soaked. Elena began gurgling desperately and Lea cried while holding her hand:

"Don't Elena! Stay!" like the strike of a lightning bolt she suddenly remembered Bonnie's Chinese drawing with the wounded warrior. "Hold tight," she whispered hoarsely and helped Elena's hands to grip the jacket and keep it positioned. Lea panicked when she felt how limb the fingers were. "I'll be right back," she promised before running to her own bedroom.

It was obvious that the thief had gone through her belongings and she prayed he hadn't found the vial under the pillow. Flinging her pillow aside she sighed relieved and snatched the glowing flask from its hiding place.

She had hoped Stefan was close but the seconds ticked by and there was still no sign of him. The bottle in her hand was strangely warm and though Elena lay disturbingly still when she returned a glint of recognition flashed over her hazel eyes. The flask was sealed by a crystal orb and Lea dreaded she wouldn't be able to get it free. But like she had pulled a withering leaf from its branch it cracked open. A wave of force hit her and the scent of snow melt spread in the room overpowering the smell of blood.

Lea hesitated a moment, when she realized she didn't have a clue whether it would work or how to give the fluid to Elena. It was a fool's hope and she held the bottle over the gun wound, removed the jacket and poured the liquid onto it. Although holding it upside down only three drops squeezed out and fell into the bloody hole. Lea vaguely registered how the drops shone with a green taint, she was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. Elena lay lifeless before her and although she had never managed to face this amount of blood without fainting all she could think of was how stupid she had been to send the text like that. She waited in tormenting sadness, but nothing happened and Lea dreaded that she might have been too late.

"No, no, no, please, you can't die Elena. Stefan needs you. It's not fair. Please let it help you. Live!" a spasm arched Elena's back and her eyes sprung wide open like she had received a shot of adrenalin. She squirmed and twisted and Lea tried to hold her down, ignoring the shock that almost made her heart burst. She glanced down at the wound which was bubbling like molting lava. Slowly the skin began healing, like pieces being fitted into the puzzle, until the convulsing body collapsed beneath her.

"Elena? Are you alright?" there was nothing to be seen where the bullet had hit except for a hole in the black tank top. Lea listened for a sound of life and was rewarded when a vague throbbing reached her ear. Still worried she went to fetch a pillow from the bed and gently eased it underneath the brown hair. Elena sighed with a timid voice and opened her eyes.

"Lea? How did you…?" her fingers searched for the wound and found only her flat stomach.

"I'll tell you later, just rest," Lea ordered and after trying to sit up straight Elena fell back on the rug in silent agreement.

Stefan barged into the room, crazy eyes transforming into relief when he saw his love alive and breathing.

"You healed her?" he managed to ask while sweeping his girlfriend up and carrying her to the bed.

"Yeah, I was lucky I had a bit of magic close by," Lea replied and showed them the crystal bottle.

"Where is he?!" Damon yelled entering the room. Seeing Elena safe in Stefan's arms conjured a mixed expression on his face and he turned away looking at Lea instead.

"He ran off after he shot her," Lea told him and saw wrath in his posture.

"Stefan we're going hunting," Damon barked, already sniffing for a trail and Lea was surprised to see an evil in Stefan's eyes she had thought to be the sole trademark of his older brother. Stefan stared at Lea with demanding features.

"Take care of her," he ordered and Lea responded by walking to Elena's side and taking her hand with a nod. If she had qualms about vampire vigilantism she didn't mention it. The brothers were fearsome in their joined wrath and neither Elena nor Lea tried to stop them as they ran back into the night with every intention of ripping the perpetrator apart.

For a while Elena lay with her eyes closed and Lea crawled up beside her.

"This town is mad," she whispered feeling small like a child. "I have been worried about vampires all this time, and then a simple thief reminds me that humans can be dangerous monsters as well."

"You'll soon learn that nothing really makes sense in Mystic Falls," Elena sighed still not moving.

"What sense is there in living here then?" Lea asked with panic tears slowly drying on her cheeks.

"Love makes sense. In all this chaos the one thing that does make sense is how Stefan makes me feel." Elena put her hand on her heart and smiled. "The rest you just sort of accept, be it vampires, werewolves or witches. I think I died a couple of minutes ago, but your potion brought me right back. After all that I have been through in the past I am not that surprised. I have a tendency to survive." Her relaxed face emphasized the words and Lea knew she hadn't seen anything yet compared to the girl beside her.

"They are going to kill that guy right?" Lea asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"I want him punished, but I just feel it's a bit wrong for Stefan and Damon to act as judges. I guess Stefan couldn't hold Damon back even if he wanted to." Lea imagined the brothers hunting the criminal with murder in their eyes.

"Actually Stefan is the callous one in situations like these. There's a reason he's always so calm and steady. He's trying to wield a thirst that's even greater than Damon's. I was scared when I saw that dark side of him the first time. But Stefan strives to be good; he just has a soft spot for me." Elena sounded like she had been through this a thousand times.

"And Damon?" Lea continued.

"There's good in him too. But he is not fighting his vampire instincts and I think he loves the power it gives him. I tried to prevent him from murdering whenever he felt like it and although he toned it down," Lea sent her an upset look, "oh yeah he was even worse before – he never really found the inner peace that Stefan has." She opened her eyes though she still looked like she was dying. There was sadness in her that Lea figured related to the feelings she once nurtured for the oldest Salvatore brother.

"I am sorry," Lea murmured. "If I hadn't texted you, it would never have happened. It's all my fault."

"Don't be ridiculous. You didn't break into my house and shoot me," Elena dismissed and noticed how bloody her new friend was. "And I haven't told you how grateful I am that you were here. Saving one of our lives is almost an initiation ritual among us," she grinned. "Welcome to the family."

"Thanks – I think," Lea replied smiling. She did feel that the event had tied her together with Bonnie, Elena, Damon and Stefan in a new way. This town was not what she had expected but she was glad that Damon hadn't managed to scare her off the first time. Elena was falling asleep next to her and she quietly messaged Bonnie about the dramatic affair and received an answer right away; the witch was on her way.

Damon and Stefan returned before Bonnie arrived. Lea had changed Elena's clothes and thrown the unlucky top in the trash. When the brothers stepped in she had expected them to be dressed in blood themselves but all that had changed was a bag in Stefan's hand, with everything the guy had stolen. She didn't need to ask them if they had found him or what had become of him, because their satisfied gloomy attitudes said it all. Stefan announced that he would care for Elena and Damon followed Lea down into the kitchen.

He was silently engaged in his own thoughts and she did nothing to disturb him. Their intimate moment earlier that day still lingered with her when she saw his grave features but she didn't feel like bringing it up. Instead Lea found the water boiler and prepared a warm cup of tea so that Elena could regain her strength.

Bonnie came running when Lea had finished organizing a tray with cups and biscuits:

"Is she okay?" she exclaimed eyeing Lea's stained t-shirt.

"She is now, let's go up and see her," Lea suggested and Damon rapidly took the tray before she could lift it.

Stefan was stroking her face and appeared more in love than ever when they knocked on the door. Bonnie ran to the bed and almost jumped on a laughing Elena until Stefan parted them full of concern.

"You just can't stay out of trouble," the witch laughed and hugged her friend again.

"Apparently not," Elena smiled, "Lucky for me, Lea had that glowing thingy." They all turned to look at the floor where the bottle lay.

"You used it!?" Bonnie stuttered, "And it worked?" Lea nodded awkwardly. "That's incredible."

"What is it exactly?" Stefan questioned and Bonnie went to pick it up. Then she told them all about the Viking grave and her research. Lea just listened and was highly uncomfortable with the attention. Damon chose a pause in Bonnie's eager storytelling to silently whisper to Lea:

"You've got a little something there," he pointed at her clothes. Lea became aware that she had practically showered in Elena's blood and all the nausea from when she first saw Elena hurt returned to her. She heard Stefan exclaim Damon's name in an accusing manner before she lost consciousness and fell into the dark vampire's strong arms.

Damon turned on the water to the bathtub while holding a limp Lea in one arm. He had felt so useless even after Stefan and he had snapped that man's thick neck, because it was clear that Elena really didn't need him. She was so disgustingly happy in Stefan's embrace that all he could do was distract himself by bothering his favorite target, and mention to Lea that she was covered in blood.

Since she had handled Elena's wound he didn't expect her to pass out so sudden like she had done in the kitchen, but when she did, he had pushed all the others aside and brought her to the bathroom.

"Now let's see if you have scales or a tale under those," he spoke to himself and sat down so he could remove her pants and t-shirt. Damon briefly considered completely stripping her but changed his mind and carefully lowered her into the tub.

Her body wasn't as slender as Elena's but she was still lean and her chest rose and fell in a lazy rhythm. The blond hair had thin messy curls and the steaming water only encouraged the golden waves. Damon ran a testing finger along her lips and relished in their texture which was as soft as a rose petal. There was a smile upon them like she was dreaming wonderful things and it was odd seeing her so vulnerable. He knelt down beside the tub and waited for her to wake.

The water caressed her with its warmth and her eyes blinked.

"Hey sleepyhead," he smiled and for once his tone was only slightly wry. Lea quickly drew her knees up to her chest to cover herself. "Relax, I already saw you in all your naked glory, remember? At least you got to keep your little white laces on," he grinned, "very nice."

Lea splashed water in his face but he just gave her his most innocent look. She decided to not feel intimidated by his greedy eyes and leaned back peacefully. After a few minutes in silence she spoke to him with intruding insight:

"'Must be hard on you. You really loved her didn't you?" his face was full of uncomfortable astonishment, but Lea continued in her softest voice: "She is beautiful." At first he merely wrinkled his nose, but seeing her calm expression deprived of prejudice caused him to flip his eyebrows up and down.

"Yeah, she's damn beautiful," he spoke bitterly.

Leaning one elbow on the edge of the tub she leaned towards him and cupped his cheek. Damon was completely taken aback and unaccustomed to such tenderness.

"It's alright to be angry. I would be too." Then she leaned back and closed her eyes, like that was the end of the conversation.

"Aren't you going to tell me to get over it? Tell me that my anger is futile, self-destructive?" he snorted with genuine wonder in is his eyes.

"It's not something you can force," she shrugged. "When you are ready to let her go it will happen."

"What if I never get there?" the corners of his mouth were pulled into that distinctive grimace of his.

"You'll get there. Some people are lucky and find the love of their life the first time they fall in love. Others - well they have to practice patience." A hint of pain crossed her features but it vanished as soon as Damon turned to look at her. "Someday you're going to wake up, swing your feet over the bedside and discover that you aren't restrained anymore. You can run and breathe and love, and though you'll always carry that tenderness she made you know with you, you won't be blinded by her light anymore."

She reached for a fluffy cloth and started washing her face. The flakes of dry blood were peeled off her skin. He watched her silently and considered re-establishing their prior relation where he would mock her and she would defy him in her sassy way. The water cascaded down her face and shoulders and he thought the drinkable fabric suited her far better than jeans and cotton. Bathing almost disguised her forestry scent but even now her blood called to him, promising him thrilling sensations.

The events of the evening had brought old discomfort and memories about Elena but somehow the opportunity to tend to someone else for a change made him think. This strange girl: on the outside dedicated to her job, unimpressed by his sharp tongue and fairly lovely in her own wild way - on the inside: a mystery, a woman full of exceptional wisdom for her age. He couldn't help but wonder if she really was just another human. Elena was marvelous in her mortality, but Lea seemed destined for more.

He realized his fangs were showing and his eyes had grown black. Lea was watching him and waiting.

"Does blood taste different depending on the person?" she asked, not the least frightened.

"Very. Yours tastes like moss, dew and resin one minute and the next there's honey and oranges." She tilted her head amazed.

"When did you taste me?" she questioned with a sharp undertone.

"Last night when you cut yourself on the knife," he smirked.

"Did you enjoy it?" Damon eyed her surprised.

"I did. In fact I've never tasted anything nearly as intoxicating." Her grave eyes twinkled and he hardly believed his eyes when she bent her head to the right and brushed her hair aside. There were no words only an inaudible offer.

"Do you want to die?" he asked sincerely and made her laugh.

"When has that pick-up line ever worked?" she giggled before she stretched her arms out in a welcoming gesture. "Elena told me how this works. I won't turn just because you bite me. On a day like this I want to feel death-defying," she said, thinking of how close Elena had come to being lost.

"You are always death-defying," he smirked. Damon rose only to step into the tub. His black pants and t-shirt got drenched as he sat back down in the water. In the dim light surrounding them his rugged features appeared even darker and Lea's skin was glowing from the heat. Her calm heart encouraged him and Lea allowed him to pull her close.

Truth was that ever since she understood his nature she had wondered what it would feel like to be bitten - without dying of course. She was an explorer by heart and felt alive when challenges like this presented themselves. Now that he was actually allowed to feed on her he no longer looked like a hunter, but more like a child, being offered to touch the moon.

His power dragged her in and when she was as close to him as she could be he shook his head over her trusting act.

"You do know that curiosity killed the cat?" he humored.

"Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only that the cat died nobly," she quoted and smiled dare-devilishly. Damon closed his eyes and lowered his mouth to her splendid neck.

Lea gasped as he pierced the skin gently and felt a rush in her brain like she was jumping out of a plane. His hair smelled wonderfully gloomy and she allowed herself to get lost in the sensation of a connection, a highway from her to him.

Damon was drunk with her from the first drop and was holding her like a golden chalice between his palms. She was a bottomless lake, she was the ocean and he could drink forever without finishing. The taste wasn't a taste. It was the sound mountains being built, the touch of rivers upon the Earth, the sight of green winters and the smell of birth in the spring. A pain in his chest set off so sudden he almost withdrew from her. When they waltzed there was an echo of her life inside of him, but with a sea of her blood caressing his tongue his frozen heart exploded in galloping thunder. The beat was violent like drums of war and he felt… He felt everything.

When Lea pulled away Damon didn't try to stop her. He simply stared at her, convinced she was an otherworldly creature. The beating of his heart slowly grew silent again, but the tidlewave it had caused in him was crashing on the inside of his skin. She had brought him life, if only for a moment.

"You are beautiful," he exclaimed without thinking. She shook her head nervously. Damon leaned in again and lifted her chin. His head was tilted to the side as he pushed her backwards in an insatiable impulsive kiss.

At first she reacted equally passionate and grabbed his soaked t-shirt until they almost drowned in the low water and each other.

Then she remembered who he was and that this was the stupidest thing she could ever do. She wanted to run away from the dark room, the dark man and jump on her bike and somewhere far, far away. Damon mistook her struggle for a deliberate attempt to entice him and tightened his grip. He winced when she slapped him hard on the cheek.

"What the hell?" he said and sat up on his knees.

"Don't go there," Lea warned and hastily left the tub.

"You practically asked for this!" he yelled and watched her scurry to the towels.

"I said don't go there!" she scolded wrapping the towel around her.

"What the fuck made you change your mind? It's not like it was so serious." Lea had her hand on the doorknob, but stopped and turned with an apologetic anger.

"I am married, okay!?"

"…But you're like 20 years old," he protested unable to process the information.

"Yeah, 20 and married so just back off."

Damon didn't know how to respond and she left the room before he could get the chance to think of anything to say.


	7. Chapter 7

He ran after her, leaving a snail trail of water dripping from his clothes and onto the floor.

"If you're married, where is your ring?" he shouted not really knowing why it even mattered that she was unavailable. But she couldn't just storm off after enchanting him with her pace-maker blood.

She stopped just inside the safe perimeter of her room and her expression was twisted in bewildering grief.

"Damon you can do nothing but harm me. I could never be with someone like you." Then she closed the door and threw herself on the bed.

"Be with me?" he laughed frustrated. "You're nothing but a meal to me," he shouted to the door, knocking his fists into the wood. "No one loves a vampire and lives to tell the tale. What did you actually think I felt by that kiss?" only silence answered his question. "I felt nothing! Do you hear me, you pathetic little girl?" Elena peeked out from her bedroom to see what was preventing her sleep.

"Damon?" shock was written on her face. She rarely saw him lose his temper like this.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he chased her back in with his fury.

"What's happening? Did you kiss Lea?" she asked as he pushed her back into bed and stomped to the door. He weighed his words looking at her before he replied with steel in his voice.

"Yes I did. Does that bother you? Does it make you jealous?" he snapped looking for a fight. Elena contemplated her response like she was picking color samples.

"Actually no. I knew – I hoped – you would move on at some point. To tell you the truth I feel relief. And Lea is a sweet girl," she calmly explained.

"Lea is a married girl, apparently," he snorted and slammed the door so no one would hear their conversation.

"No way is she married," Elena rejected.

"She just told me so," he hissed pacing the floor.

"She is not married," Elena repeated like she was an expert witness. "Besides, it's not like you are in love with her," she continued, testing the waters. "You have tried to kill her these last three days."

"True," he replied coldly.

"Do you want to kiss her again?" Elena questioned innocently.

"Don't be ridiculous Elena. She's not even my type." He sent her a meaningful glance and continued to pace. Elena shrugged and started combing her hair. Damon's pupils shrunk to tiny dots by the scent she blew in his direction.

"Why do you smell like Lea?" he questioned rapidly and took a deep breath. Elena laughed at him.

"When you start projecting her smell on your former crush, I wouldn't be so quick to conclude that she isn't your type," she teased.

"She's married!" he replied again, putting his hands behind his back and staring out the window.

"The fact that the object of your desire was spoken for has never stopped you in the past," Elena noted. She knew Damon well enough to tell that he was upset with Lea, and Damon did not get upset about his food.

"Yeah and that ended in a happy ever after right?" he retorted bitterly and silenced her. "The moment she steps outside that room I am going to kill her," he mumbled.

"You will do no such thing. She's family now; at least she's my family, since she saved me." Damon snickered irritated when he noticed she was giving him puppy eyes.

"Those don't work on me anymore. The spell has been broken," he imitated Bonnie's tone.

"Fine, but you still won't hurt her.

"What makes you so damn sure?"

"Because you are angry with her. You don't get angry with insignificant girls you just kissed," she smiled victoriously.

"I need a drink," he groaned and opened the door. Elena waited till he left and then snuck down the hall to Lea's room.

"May I come in?" Elena asked. Lea had her head buried in the pillows and she only waved a welcome. She was still dressed in her wet underwear and towel.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Elena suggested.

"I have been trying very hard _not _to," Lea admitted. She decided to assume a more dignified position and crawled up to the headboard.

"I guess it's not about Damon then?"

"Hardly!" Lea began taming her wet hair and grabbed a t-shirt to cover herself a little. "He just reminded me why I'm staying clear of love."

"I can't think of a reason to break up with love," Elena mused but could tell that Lea wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Damon said that you're married. I told him that couldn't be right."

"It's not," she admitted, "but it might as well be. I could never be with someone like Damon regardless. It's just easier to tell him I'm married." Elena thought she heard the faint swoosh of a vampire, speed-running away and figured Damon had heard them with that irritating super hearing of his. If she knew him as well as she thought she did, he was heading for the woods to blow off some steam after hearing a rejection like that.

"Damon's not that bad," Elena explained but Lea just shook her head.

"You don't understand."

"Oh I understand," Elena objected, "I have been dating vampires for a while now. They're not the ideal boyfriend material, but no one is perfect."

"I know Elena. It's just that I feel so old. I'm 20 and I feel a thousand years old. I feel like that perfect person has passed me by," she said and Elena looked at her encouragingly. "Suffice to say that I was engaged, and now I am not."

"Maybe it would help to talk about it?" Elena suggested. In the years caught between Damon and Stefan's affection she would have loved to have had someone to talk it out with. Bonnie and Caroline would have listened to her, but Elena was better at keeping bad feelings to herself and she now wished there was someone who had pushed her a bit.

"I didn't come here to have my feelings analyzed," Lea rejected but her voice was weak.

"It's not about analyzing you, but it might help with a new perspective." Lea sat pondering her words for a while and Elena just waited. After being healed Elena had this buzzing in her head and it helped focusing all of her energy on someone else's problem. Lea finally sighed in surrender and when she started talking her tone was so far from the strong happy one Elena had gotten used to.

"I was engaged, not so long ago. His name was Jasper and he was by all appearances the perfect man. From the moment I met him, I was hopelessly lost to him, even though I was so young. He was nothing like me, steady as a rock, and a man of tradition, but he treated me like princess. I'm not the princess kind of girl, it was just… I had never met anyone like him." Elena listened and saw how emotions ran through Lea's body. "When he proposed, I could have died from happiness. My father bought me a big white tulle cake of a dress, just like my fiancé had pictured. The day I received it, I put it on, giddy as a child, twirling through the living room. I remember the way the sun was reflected in the crystals making me shine like a glacier. There was a knock on the door," Lea trailed off, memories floating through her mind. "Outside there stood two police officers, hats in their hands and routinely announced there had been an accident, a big fire."

"No," Elena gasped but a mocking smile spread across Lea's mouth.

"He was dead and I was an unwed widow. It rained inside me for weeks. I tore the wedding dress to pieces, I cried until I fell asleep and then my nightmares burned whatever heart there was left. One night I got up and went for a drive. The bike decided where it wanted to go and I just followed. I ended up in a big city, full of lights and people and I drove past this couple eating each other's faces. The jealousy almost made me crash into a lamppost, until the guy lifted his face and…" The tension made Elena lean forward.

"And what?" she whispered.

"And it was him. My dead _love_ was sitting alive and enclosed in another woman's arms." She closed her eyes hard, trying to erase the revived vision.

"I am so sorry," was all Elena could say

"I never even stopped to ask him what had happened, I just went away, came here."

"I am glad you did," Elena smiled.

"Me too," she sat quietly for a while with pain written on her face. "You were wrong Elena; it doesn't help to talk about it."

"Give it time. And as for Damon, he is capable of being a good friend, if that is all you need. He plays games all the time, but he does have a sense of honor," Elena promised but Lea shook her head.

"I don't need more deceptive guys in my life. Maybe it's time to leave Mystic Falls," she said monotonously and rose from the bed.

"No." Elena exclaimed. "Not already. There are so many unanswered questions about that magic flask you found." She got up fast to take Lea's hand but the buzzing in her head overwhelmed her and she fell backwards.

"Are you okay?" Lea asked concerned but Elena waved her off.

"I just need some fresh air," she said her upper body swaying unnaturally from side to side.

"Let me help you down," Lea offered.

"No, you have packing to do." It was meant as a joke, but it came out like a sharp retort because she was feeling sick and Lea backed away sheepishly.

...

Damon was crashing through the black forest at super speed. _She is the most conceited unpredictable woman I have ever met_, he thought. _I should have killed her when I met her that night_. Lea was stubborn and moody and Damon agreed with himself that he had no use of an unbalanced human. The fact that she didn't want him was not an issue. If he wanted someone to ravish he didn't even have to compel them. After all he was still the best looking guy in town.

It was that taste of her he couldn't forget. She had to be a new breed of witch with power to make his heart pump when it had been silent for more than a hundred years. It was troubling to feel it again and yet he felt so unbelievably strong now.

Damon stopped by a huge oak and furiously grabbed its stem. He couldn't even reach all the way around it, but the force in him was immense and he lifted testing. The ancient tree had deep roots and it fought his attempt to tear it from the earth. Hardly believing his own power, Damon felt the rumble of cracking roots beneath him and suddenly the oak surrendered and he almost fell on his ass when it left the ground like a carrot.

_What the hell! Her blood is like vampire steroids. _Damon tossed the stem aside and looked at it conspicuously overwhelmed.

...

Elena walked in a big circle on the lawn and allowed the freezing breeze to cool her mind. Though she was used to dramatic near death experiences she always needed to collect herself afterwards and enjoy feeling alive. She could hear Bonnie and Stefan discussing Lea's magical flask.

Bonnie was thrilled and talked about how rare ancient magic was. She was obviously convinced the Green Blood had been unearthed for a reason and that it was connected to those wild dreams of hers.

Stefan sounded skeptic. Elena smiled weakly at his familiar tone of concern, always so wary of things he didn't understand. She closed her eyes and delighted in hearing his beautiful voice. Whatever they decided to do with the flask, it had saved her life so she could be with Stefan another year before new dangers appeared. Stefan could try all he wanted to keep her out of harm's way, but he couldn't control that illogical magnetism that drew the supernatural into their lives.

Sometimes she got so tired of fear and fangs, but she also knew that it made her appreciate every day in ways ordinary people never could. If the usual play was set in motion, the burglar today was only the beginning of a new adventure just getting started.

Elena didn't notice how Bonnie and Stefan's conversation faded. The night was blissfully quiet and her heart was singing.

Oblivious to her surroundings she didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching her. Something rustled through the grass and she lost her breath suddenly when Stefan's hard body pushed her to the ground and sharp nails missed them by inches. Elena was on her feet almost as fast as Stefan and saw an uncanny woman crouching before them like a panther.

"Mara, have you no manners? Can't you see we're trespassing?" a tall vampire scolded and stepped into the moonlight.

"Forgive me," the twisted female vampire hissed, and jumped back to her leader. She sat on the ground like she was a cat hunching her back.

"Don't mind her," he said as if Mara hadn't just charged Elena like a crocodile. "I am Shedu," he greeted them with his hands clapped together as in prayer. Stefan didn't retract his fangs and just measured their strength when 3 more vampires appeared from the shadows. They were all dressed in exotic clothing and had their eyes fixated on Elena.

"Is there a vampire world convention in town?" Bonnie taunted running to aid her friends and chose that moment to start a small fire in the palm of her hands to make sure they knew she was prepared for a fight as well.

"No, no," Shedu laughed disarmingly, a sharp glint lurking in his eyes. His accent bore a hint of something Middle Eastern and his skin was unusually dark for a vampire. "We're just here to finish a task we were appointed." Elena felt a familiar concern.

"If Klaus has sent you, he knows we won't give in without a fight." She said anger in her voice. They thought they had finally managed to trick that persistent Original into thinking she was dead, but she supposed he would have found out the truth sooner or later. Shedu, however, resolved to laugh again.

"That immature brat, Klaus? I haven't seen him in centuries. You are so darling with your innocence," he spoke and reached out to pat her cheek. Stefan immediately growled and blocked his path.

"Why are you here then?" Stefan asked and pushed Elena backwards.

"You don't know?" the tall vampire asked genuinely surprised, then stared at Elena with dark intensity. "You have something that belongs to us." He sniffed in the scent flowing from her and his pupils dilated rapturously. "We have been waiting a long time to collect." The beastly female by his feet shivered like she could scarcely restrain herself. "We all felt it; the force of her blood unleashed a couple of hours ago."

"She is mine," Stefan stated and bended his knees ready to charge.

"We would gladly let you keep her, if she wasn't blessed with that special blood of hers," he simpered. Elena froze.

"Are you talking about the Green Blood?" she asked stunned.

"See, your girlfriend understands, dummy," Mara shrieked pleased. She turned and grabbed Shedu's leg. "Can I have a sip of her, love?" she begged but he kicked her off.

"You can play nice, and hand over that precious little thing," he winked at Elena, "or Arawn will come and get her himself. And trust me, you're better off complying."

"Never heard of the guy," Bonnie retorted. "And Elena is not what you think she is. The force you felt came from something else. We only used the Green Blood to heal her."

"Really?" he tilted his head inquisitively. "So you are not off the Green Blood, girl?"

"I can assure you; Elena's blood is red." Stefan replied briskly.

"Then you have found the Vial?" Mara asked and crawled forward eagerly.

"What is it to you?" Bonnie sneered. She was reluctant to yield anything to these intruders.

"Well, we will settle for second best. Give us the vial, and we will leave. The witch can fetch it," he signaled Bonnie and before Elena could object Stefan sneered:

"It's a deal."

"What are you doing?" Elena asked upset. "You don't know anything about them."

"I would rather lose that bottle than you," he replied coldly without taking his eyes off the strangers. Bonnie hesitated but cast the fire in her hand on the ground so a snake of flames separated the two groups, a little magical insurance policy.

"Better hurry witch," Shedu shouted after her when she rushed back to the house. "Your friends are critically outnumbered without you." Elena wished she had the wooden stakes Damon once gave her. She knew that there was no way Stefan could protect her from 5 vampires at one time and every second that passed in Bonnie's absence she expected them to attack.

"Lea!" Bonnie shouted and barged into the room.

"What's the matter?" the blond girl asked when she saw Bonnie's petrified expression.

"Some vampires came out of nowhere asking for the Green Blood. Apparently they think it is Elena's blood and they will attack if we don't give them the vial." Lea handed Bonnie the bottle without hesitation and moved to follow the black witch downstairs. "Where do you think you're going?"

"With you of course; I brought that thing into the house. If anything happens it'll be my fault" Lea argued. She was still processing the fact that the Green Blood had healed Elena, and became dizzy when Bonnie told her the troubles weren't over.

"No way! We already have Elena out there. Stefan doesn't need one more to rescue. Stay here. They'll leave once they get this." Bonnie waved the bottle and then turned to race down. Lea was caught between her worry for Elena and Stefan, and a possessive sensation in her gut when she saw the crystal flask disappear with Bonnie. She couldn't just hide in her room all cowardly.

Bonnie was relieved to see that both Elena and Stefan stood firm when she returned. The foreign vampires looked like outlandish ghosts, so misplaced in the well-trimmed garden. When Shedu saw the glowing bottle in her hands he hissed, pleased, and stretched out his hands calling for it. Bonnie tossed it at him, halfway hoping she would miss and it would break. His slim hand closed around it securely and he held it like it was a beating human heart.

"Finally; Arawn will award me for this," he celebrated, a disturbing calm psychotic smile on his face.

"Great," Stefan spoke, "now get off my lawn!"

"Yeah about that," Shedu grinned, "I promised we would leave when you gave us the vial, and we will, but even if she's only a shadow of the real deal, I am still hungry." He looked at Elena and stroked Mara's hair.

"Don't you dare," Bonnie warned.

"Mara corcula*, go get them."

The female vampire shook her shoulders predator-like and jumped forward with her long nails first. Stefan hit her with his fist dead on the nose and a sickly crashing of bones was the last clear sound before the other four vampires charged with witchy screams.

"Elena, run!" Stefan managed before engaging Shedu and another blond vampire. Bonnie conjured a new fire from her hands and was spraying it on two frantic males. She jumped too late when one of them kicked her in the shin and tipped her off balance.

Elena ran for the nearest tree, to improvise a stake, but Mara sprinted after her, clawing Elena's t-shirt to shreds. She fell down in the slippery grass and fought towards a broken branch. The female, Mara was over her in no time and gripped her jaw tightly. Stefan went berserk, always gaining unparalleled strength when he knew his girlfriend was unprotected; he threw Shedu 10 feet up in the air and sped to help Elena. The other vampire plunged its teeth into his back and flung its hands up to rip his head off.

Finding the broken-off branch with her left hand Elena succeeded in thrusting it into Mara's eye. The female screamed so Elena thought she would pass out from the sound, but forced herself to push Mara's nails backwards into the vampire's exposed belly. She kicked her off and ran for Bonnie. The witch had blazed up one of the attackers, who was now rolling grotesquely on the ground.

Stefan felt the strong grasp on his neck loosen and looked up to see Lea standing with her jaw dropped at the door. All the aggressors had stopped in their tracks to look at her with famished expressions.

"_Antum_," Shedu gasped in a foreign language and stared at the blond girl with a victorious smile. Before Lea could even react, the entire pack of vampires launched at her. She felt as if time slowed down while they headed her way, but she was frozen and just waited for the inevitable collision. There were glistening white teeth everywhere and she faintly registered Bonnie, Elena and Stefan collecting themselves and running after to deal with this turn of events.

Lea closed her eyes to avoid seeing what happened next, but opened them again abruptly when a beastly roar was followed by vampire squeals and she didn't get impaled. Damon had arrived with burning black eyes and had broken the charge by a forceful slash through their line. His broad shoulders were rising and falling with his respiration and he had placed himself protectively in front of Lea.

"Get Elena and Bonnie out of here," he said quietly to Stefan and stood still while the four remaining vampires assembled before him. Stefan didn't stop to argue with the girls but lifted them up, one on each shoulder and raced into the dark. Lea was gasping for air and just watched Damon in his dark clothing like she had never seen him before. He stole a blue glance back at her and then blasted into a deadly pace instantly parting the blond vampire's head from his body like he was picking a flower. Shedu wasn't easily overthrown but wrestled with Damon while Mara and the last vampire jumped at him sinking their fangs into his muscles.

Lea only watched in disbelief and horror as Damon almost yielded but then conjured all his strength and tossed them far off.

"Time to go," he spoke and pulled her up on his back like he had done when he took her waltzing. The vampires didn't find their feet before he rushed faster into the dark than he had ever done before.

* * *

***Corcula = sweetheart in latin**

**For those of you who have reviewed frequently - thank you so much. It's really nice to know that people are taken by the plot :)**


	8. Chapter 8

The run through the forest was nerve-wracking. Lea kept hearing little noises telling her the pursuers weren't far behind and it was so dark she feared Damon would stumble. She could feel his body working ferociously under her as he jumped and zigzagged relentlessly, until she was sure they were completely lost in the wilderness.

Elena, Bonnie and Stefan headed in the opposite direction and she was unsure what the plan was. The sounds of putative stalkers kept her from asking Damon and his firm movements told her that he was in control of the situation. It was comforting being this close to his fortress-like stature when she was shaking from the cold and fear.

The roller-coaster rush in her stomach, caused by Damon's jumping high up into a tree and down in another direction, heightened the sensation of flying. If the circumstances had been less grim she would perhaps have enjoyed it, but for now she only clung to him hoping that they would reach safety soon.

It seemed like hours had passed as the moon traveled with them through the night and Lea struggled to stay awake even though she was sitting in an uncomfortable position._ At least it's not raining_;she thought and glanced up at the sky, peeking through the blushing leaves.

She had a hard time understanding all that had happened since she first rolled into town. It seemed like ages ago that the vampire beneath her had surprised her in a distant parking lot. Lea had only just become comfortable with the brothers' nature and then these other vampires showed up, craving Elena, craving her. Why had they thrown themselves at her? She recalled the moment she had thought she was dead, when Damon had come to the rescue. The whole scene had been so gory. Elena was bleeding down her back, Bonnie's leg twisted in an unnatural direction and Stefan was a wild beast fighting bad odds.

Damon had seemed extraordinarily strong compared to all the others and she suddenly was very glad he hadn't attacked her that night they first met. Apparently she had no clue how powerful he was.

Her trail of thought was interrupted when Damon decided to stop and Lea looked up to see a small cabin tucked away in the skirts of a group of pine trees.

"You will hide in here for now," he said sinisterly. "I will run back and lead them in another direction." He put her down and moved to run on, but Lea caught his arm.

"Will you be back?" she asked sheepishly, not really happy with staying all alone in a stranger's cottage.

"As soon as I am sure they won't find this place," he promised. "They key is under the doormat. I suggest you don't light up the fireplace or make a lot of noise. Take a shower once every couple of hours to keep that scent of yours at bay. I've got to go make sure the others are safe too." Then he left and Lea felt like Alice in a gloomy wonderland. She hurried to the cabin, found the key and locked herself in.

It wasn't a huge place. There was a big room with a fireplace, some old armchairs, a sofa and a dining table. In the other room there was a tiny kitchen with all the cupboards painted baby blue and dust on every surface. The bathroom was even smaller; a toilet, sink and shower squeezed closely together. It smelled like rose potpourri and mint. She didn't dare turn on the lights in case one of the vampires had followed them. Only when she remembered that they wouldn't be able to enter without an invitation she found a small candle and lit it. In a closet she found a shabby blanket that she rolled up in, falling asleep on the sofa, so exhausted no dreams could penetrate the slumber.

...

When she awoke the sun was high in the heaven and there was no trace of Damon. Although the warm autumn sunlight had a soothing effect on last night's terror, Lea was still on edge. She realized how lonely the silence and anxiety made her feel after days in cozy company. Damon's absence made her worry that maybe the other vampires had caught up with him and Stefan. Perhaps she was the only one left and no one would come to find her.

The rumble from her stomach was a welcome distraction, telling her that she was hungry and she went to look in the kitchen for anything edible.

The cupboards were empty except for half a bag of flour, 2 cans of diced tomatoes and some salt; hardly the makings of a breakfast. She decided to bake some boring loaf from water, salt and flour, just to have something to eat. The oven functioned properly, but the bread was still dry and uninteresting when she swallowed it.

The beautiful tranquil scenery outside made her relax a little, but every time she looked to the shades beneath the trees, she wondered what could be hiding in there. She felt more imprisoned than ever before, and every fiber in her body was longing for the freedom of her motorcycle. Her feet were freezing as she had left without socks or shoes last night.

Having avoided her cell phone or so long, it felt bitter finally having need of it when she couldn't get to it. Lea ventured to the front door desperate to orient herself with the forest. When she opened the door ajar and nothing stirred she built up the courage to step outside. The forest was unaffected by her emergence and a few birds continued to bathe in a puddle of water without taking flight.

There was no wind in the modest glade because of the tall trees. She imagined herself as Snow White having been on the run all night until reaching the dwarves' cabin. Damon had clearly brought her to the most remote location he could think of. She focused on listening for any noise of cars, hoping there was a road nearby, but nothing other than the voice of the woods could be heard. By the look of the sun in the sky she determined the cardinal points, but it was little to no help as she was clueless to the direction of Mystic Falls.

She considered climbing a tree to see if there was any hint of a town above the treetops. Not wanting to venture too far from the cabin she resolved to climb up onto the roof instead. It wasn't as easy as she had hoped and splinters of wood drilled into her bare fingers and toes. When Lea finally managed to balance on the roof top all she could see was more trees. How could they have gotten so far from civilization in one night?

"What do you think you're doing up there?" as always his sudden appearance caught her off guard. Lea almost fell off the roof, but before she tumbled down and broke her neck, Damon was beside her, pulling her in. Staring into his icy eyes she recalled the awkward kiss from the night before and withdrew.

"You're back," she stated.

"Yes I'm back, and why are you up here?" he asked coldly.

"I was trying to find out where you brought me."

"I see. You don't like the accommodation?" he smirked.

"I'm not complaining that you saved me, but my feet are kind of cold, and there's no food," she said and started to crawl down. Damon sighed like she was terribly silly before he grabbed her around the waist and jumped back on the ground. "How are the others?" she questioned.

"Saint Stefan is guarding them. The Green Blood will be out of Elena's system in a matter of hours."

"That's great," she sighed relieved, "but why didn't we just barricade ourselves in the boarding house? They wouldn't have been able to enter when there's living residents, right? "

"Because Stefan and I aren't fond of sieges. We are not giving them the opportunity to fetch more minions. They were persistent, Lea. They wouldn't give up just because we were hiding, or didn't you notice how they jumped at you?"

"I know, but that was obviously because I was the most vulnerable!" she objected.

"Are you listening to yourself?" he hissed and clenched his fists to control the temper. "I need you to tell me who you are."

"I am Lea, who else would I be?" she replied offended.

"And you just happened to turn up in Mystic Falls, find a crystal bottle that can heal injuries and when you use it, strong vampires turn up few hours later, famished for you." He counted her curious ways on his fingers.

"Strong? You beat them easily," Lea objected.

"Because I was high on your blood."

"High?"

"Yes Lea, high. Are you deaf?" Damon gestured to his ears and turned from her in frustration.

"Do you always get high on blood?" her voice was low and worried.

"No, so I would appreciate you telling me what you are."

"I would, if I knew. Not one supernatural thing has happened to me, ever, not before I came here. Now it just seems to come falling down on me. Besides, shouldn't we be focusing on the Green Blood? That bottle is the source of all this," she argued but Damon snorted.

"That is just it, Lea; I don't think that is entirely true. The Green Blood heals – whoopee, big deal – so does my blood."

"It does?" she asked, surprised, and wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

"Yeah it's sort of the trademark of supernatural beings, except for witches, but they have their own way of getting some juice. What _normal_ paranormal blood doesn't do is make me a super-vamp on crack and make a dead heart beat again." She bit her lip and considered his words.

"I don't know what to say. I have never been extraordinary," she confessed.

"False humility doesn't look great on you. You put all of us in danger," he growled and poked her on the shoulder.

"That's not fair. If I hadn't gotten that bottle, the burglar would still have shot Elena and there would have been no one to save her." He scowled at her words, but sighed, irritated, because he knew it was true.

"Fine. Bonnie will figure out what's wrong with you soon and then we can find a way out of this mess." He started walking inside and threw a big sports bag on the sofa.

"You're staying?" she asked.

"Of course I am. Someone has to make sure you don't end up dead."

"But you don't really care, right? Elena told you to watch me." Lea was annoyed with his attitude. When he had been the only abnormality in her life she could just ignore him, but now the whole situation was getting more and more complex and she didn't have the patience to deal with his petty mood swings.

"Why do you assume that I am unable to make a decision without her? She isn't my one and only motivation, in fact she can be quite the buzz kill." He taunted and fetched a bottle of bourbon from the bag.

"Still, you would rather be watching her right now." Lea stated, hoping that Bonnie could come and keep her company instead.

"I don't very much fancy risking my adorable ass to take care of you, but this isn't just about you. Those vampires came into my home and thought they could just take whatever they wanted. They made it personal and I take pride in letting them know that Mystic Falls is Salvatore territory." He winked at her and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Great, a vampire with macho issues," Lea mumbled and went to see what Damon had brought her in the bag.

"I can hear you," he called from the other room.

"I know," she shouted back and gratefully put on a pair of woolen socks. "When can we leave this place?"

"When I say so. They're still out there, so I am going out to make a few traps, in case they come too near. Stay put and make yourself comfortable." He downed his drink and began rummaging through the closet for usable objects.

"I am stuck here with _you_?" Lea snapped but bit her lip when she saw Damon's face. They both replayed last night's bathtub scene in their minds and it was hard to tell if he was feeling hurt or hurtful.

"We agree then? Neither of us really wants to be here so we might as well make the best of it," Damon said with strained politeness. "Let me know if you feel like offering yourself again. I find it awfully delicious when naïve little women willingly let me drink from them. Their desperation for nearness in whatever form tastes like whore, but a drink is a drink." He left her alone, blushing from bitterness, with every intention of making her hate him more than she hated the ones following her.

Lea shrieked with frustration and knocked her fists into the sofa. In just a second he had turned their intimate moment in the tub into a promiscuous meaningless incident. If that is how he wanted to play, she would oblige. _Egocentrically daft dumbass_, she thought and couldn't wait to get out of there. She decided to put her anger aside and see what other things Damon had packed for their stay.

_At least he remembered I need a bit more than blood to stay alive_, she mused aggressively as she found vegetables, bread and other groceries. Her red leather jacket was on the top of the stack of clothes. The smell of it always made her feel at home, no matter where she was. It had been so long since she left Denmark that it was a welcome sensation and she thought of her sister who had given it to her a long time ago. She hadn't allowed herself to miss the ones back home since she ran and she wondered if they were thinking about her. There was always fighting going on between her mum and her, but her dad surely hoped to see her soon. The blue cell phone appeared between the t-shirts and she took it warily and hesitated before turning it on. A few dozen messages ticked in right away and more than 30 missed calls.

"I can't do this," she told herself and threw the phone on the floor. After staring at it for a while with a furrowed brow she decided she was a coward and picked it up. Instead of calling her mum, Lea called Stefan to hear straight from the horse's mouth that they were all okay. Somehow she was happier to call them than her own mother. Elena picked up and was glad to hear Lea's voice.

"I was worried about you," she confessed, "It's not that I don't trust Damon, but he has a tendency to go behind my back when my life is on the line and I would hate it if he used you in some way."

"That's nice to know," Lea replied sardonically. "You all made it to safety?"

"Yes, thanks to Damon. I can't believe that he took on those vampires so easily." Lea bit her lip and considered telling Elena about the bloodsucking in the tub, but at the moment the act seemed embarrassing and she wasn't quite sure what it all meant.

"I am glad you're okay, but Damon is already driving me crazy. When can we meet up?" a low chuckle escaped Elena.

"That doesn't surprise me," she giggled. "But they're still out there. We have to be careful and wait."

"Who are _they_, exactly?"

"We are trying to find out. Stefan has never heard of them, or this Arawn guy, but he is asking around. They seem more elusive than Klaus ever was."

"Klaus?" Lea asked.

"You remember those Originals I told you about?"

"Oh yeah, that nasty family. You don't think Arawn is an Original do you?" Lea questioned.

"No way, we know the names of all the Originals and Arawn is _not_ one of them." Elena rejected. "But they might know who he is…" Scribbling of a pen on paper sounded as she made a note. "Damon probably already asked you this – most likely in an impervious manner – but can you think of anything that made Shedu and the others go for you?"

"He did ask me, and no. I can't think of anything. But I do feel that all this is connected to the skeleton buried with that bottle…" she gasped suddenly. "The bottle… did they take it?" she could hear Elena sigh.

"They did, but I'll tell Bonnie to focus on the skeleton, I think you are right about it. It might be the key to this mystery." Elena grew silent for a bit. Then she continued cautiously: "Damon thinks you've got some supernatural abilities of your own," Elena confessed and summarized the options Bonnie had researched.

"Yeah I just don't see how I could have. I am a nobody." Lea rejected.

"We all disagree. We saw them jump at you Lea. It was like they forgot they were fighting all of us and went for you without thinking. It's not rational vampire behavior."

"Vampire behavior can be rational?" Lea asked and Elena laughed at her.

"You know what I mean. Just consider it. I'll call you if we come up with something." Elena promised and Lea felt awkward.

"Then I'll call Sean Walker and ask if there's any news, and come up with an excuse as to why I can't go back to the excavation for now." Lea concluded. "I'll talk to you later. Take care."

"You too."

...

Damon leaned against a rock sniffing the spicy scent left on it. Shedu had definitely been here. He hoped they were too far from the cabin to smell Lea. When he left her he had an itching desire to accidently lead them straight to her, let them deal with her pesky attitude. In that moment the only thing keeping him from it was the certainty of Elena's wrath and the knowledge that Elena would most likely make him do even more hard work to rescue Lea – if there was anything left to be rescued. The evil pondering felt gratifying and he relished in it a minute or two before moving on.

Traps had been planted to warn or kill anybody approaching the cabin. Such a lot of work for such an ungrateful woman. He had little desire to return to her, but being gone for too long might make her do stupid things. Lea seemed even more erratic and impulsive than Elena, and he was never fond of an uncontrollable factor. He was the only one entitled to play that part.

He spent a few hours simply circling the cabin, making sure he knew every smell and sound so that when a stranger entered the perimeter he would know instantly. The wind carried her voice with it. She was talking on the phone with her boss from the archaeological site and sounded both sad and enthusiastic. When she hung up the unmistakable smell of hot cocoa blew his way, and he decided to return.

Damon expected her to fly at him fists first for the comment he had sent her way before he left, but he found Lea aimlessly curled up in the couch, glancing out the window with a depressed expression. Silly sad girls were definitely not his specialty and instead of engaging in their usual banter he went out to hunt.

...

Lea didn't really snap out of her gloom that night, and when they woke in the morning she resumed her crouched position. As the sun started to fade Damon looked at her and concluded that this was not a woman fit for captivity.

Damon felt conflicted. When Stefan - well when anyone in Mystic Falls - looked sad as Lea did now he would normally use it to manipulate them, but the sight of her disturbed him. Lea wasn't a whiny person, and her gloomy mood was just a crime against nature.

"Did someone steal your carrot little bunny?" he mocked but she didn't even look his way. Lea was sitting by the window looking far beyond the glade outside. "You know you look depressing right?"

"I seem no more depressed than you do on a daily basis with your scowling and scheming," she said flatly

"Oh please stop looking like I bit you and you woke up with fangs. Pitiful is so last year." She didn't even flinch at his mockery. He bit his lip annoyed and moved to block her distant gaze. "Come on, you look more dead than I do."

"Just tell me when we can leave again," she muttered and stared blindly into his chest. Damon was distraught. She wasn't usually this depressing company.

"You are so dull right now," he sighed but studied her with concern.

"Damon leave me be."

"No, you know what you need?" he asked with a devil's smile. "You need to chill." He picked her up bridal style and continued out the door.

"Damon, put me down. I thought I was slave-bound to the cabin?"

"You're with me and I make the rules, or change the rules and I say you need to cool down," he ran a few miles then stopped suddenly and Lea tore her eyes from him only to discover that they were high up on a cliff, looking down on a lake below. The full moon bleached the water glowing white and her eyes widened frightfully when she realized his intent.

"That is a 60 feet drop!"

"You complained about being a caged bird. I am simply offering you the chance to fly." Then he tossed her over the edge, smiling at her surprised squeal.

Lea felt like her organs was falling out her mouth as she fell and the sadness fell out with them. The cold water was like shot of adrenalin into her blood stream when she plunged into it. It closed around her in a smooth embrace, hitting and tickling her skin. The moonlight pierced through the surface and made the underworld surrounding her, a liquid ghost-veil. Although her lungs quickly began craving air, her eyes wanted to never let go of the mesmerizing sight. The cold forced away any dreariness that had poisoned her.

Damon wondered if he should have asked her whether she could swim before he dropped her, and enough time passed by to make him arch his eyebrows. When he considered jumping in after her she finally surfaced and a clear laughter rippled over the water.

"What are you waiting for up there? The water is amazing." Damon laughed at her, kicked off the black leather shoes and dived in.

Lea was gasping and splashing the water high up in the air with an enthusiasm Damon recognized from when he saw her dancing naked in the garden. _Mesmerizing._

She kept swimming as far down as her lung capacity allowed, touching the rock and sand on the bottom. Enchanted by the night world she only smiled when Damon acted shark attack on her leg from below. They fought briefly until Lea slipped away like a fish.

"You move like you belong in the water," Damon stated and caught up with her. He stared at her with surprise and temper when she slapped him on the cheek with a wet palm. "What was that for?"

"For throwing me off that cliff," she said coolly and then jumped on him, hugging him and ended up pushing him under until he regained control and treaded water, still encircled in her embrace. "And that," she giggled at his expression, "is for throwing me off that cliff." He shook his head in wonder and watched her mischievous grin as she plunged under the subtle waves again and paddled away.

"As a man who has lived a couple of lifetimes, I do know several cures for sadness. You should really address me as Doctor Salvatore you know," he spoke playfully and watched her with amusement. He was rewarded with an unrestrained laughter. Dark irregular circles spread like fleeting mermaid footprints when she moved. The chill cursed through her and she forgot all about death, fear and supernatural creatures. Even Damon seemed human, with a gentle look upon his face, the likes of which she had never seen before. Her clothes stuck to her skin, but every time she descended below the water a freeing weightlessness made her forget.

"Your lips are getting blue," he noted, catching up with her.

"I don't feel cold yet," Lea objected and tried to hide her shaking hands.

"You got what we came for; a freshing up. I am not saving your ass _and _making you warm chicken soup because you get a cold. Time to go, so jump up."

"What a gentleman," she sighed ironically but smiled and brushed her wet hair behind her ear.

"I actually was quite the gentleman back in the days, thank you very much."

"Way – way – back in the days, I am guessing," Lea teased dryly and pulled herself up on his back. Damon growled amused.

...

A few minutes later they were back in the house, drenched and shivering.

"God that was cold," Lea snickered and ran to the fireplace. Kneeling by the fire she rubbed her hands together and studied Damon as he pulled the dripping t-shirt over his head. It was hard not to notice his fit body but she turned away and started twisting her own clothes to get the water out.

"I'll go in here so you can change," he pointed to the bathroom and smirked when she looked back at him. The bag he had brought didn't contain a lot of choices, but she took a sweater and some loose sweatpants.

"You can come out now Damon. It's not the most flattering outfit, but it's cozy," she excused herself when he entered and stared at her.

"You look… very homey," he said in a tune that could be either praising or sarcastic.

"Why do you act like you're a dick, when you are capable of being kind?" she asked silently.

"Being bad just feels so good. You should try it Miss Sunshine, it might suit you."

"Okay, Mr. Evasive. I am starving anyway."

Lea began making herself dinner and Damon joined her wordlessly helping set the table and looking over her shoulder.

"Spaghetti with meatballs, very fancy," Damon snorted and Lea tossed a ladle his way.

"You're addicted to sharp remarks, aren't you?" she asked with a smile.

"They are my trademark," he smiled confidently.

They sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace, just talking quietly. He was looking at her lips as she talked about wanting to see the entire world, traveling the outskirts of human influence. The surprisingly painful memory of the heartbeat kiss loomed in him.

"As a vampire I bet you've seen amazing things. The first cinematic, both World Wars, Jazz in the 1920's…" her eyes looked like they were seeing into another era.

"Actually I didn't really have time for all that." Damon replied.

"Then what were you doing?"

"I was hunting, searching for a way to free Kathrine, ruining my brother's life and attending the occasional party with the beauties of the decades."

"That sounds… lonely."

"I had my mission, and besides vampires don't get lonely. We aren't pack people like wolves," he spoke coldly.

"You must have seen something you thought was astounding, historical?" Damon hesitated and thought for a while.

"I did enjoy the years of the World War – so many lonely widows," he said with a wink.

"You're horrible," Lea smiled and looked him challengingly in the eye. The warm fire moved on her skin and the lively blushing made her look attractive. Damon wanted to kiss her again, but even though she sat so close and appeared so open, he knew she wouldn't allow it. Not in the mood for torturing her into submission, he decided to leave.

"I need to check the area before we go to sleep," he said and got up in the middle of her talk. Lea looked slightly befuddled by his sudden departure, but said nothing. She folded her legs underneath her and leaned back, wondering if she had offended him again.

...

She jumped in her seat when there was a loud knock on the door. Her first instinct was to grab a stake and hide under the table, but then a familiar voice spoke.

"Lea? Are you in there?" She hurried to the door and Sean entered with a victorious smile. He immediately tried to hug her, but she stepped out of reach.

"How did you find me?" she asked suspiciously.

"When you called you didn't exactly sounded sick, more scared. I know a little trick to trace a cell phone and I used it because I was worried about you," he explained with sincerity in his eyes.

"I am sorry, but that's kind of creepy," she admitted and he nodded well aware.

"It wasn't my intention to be creepy. Are you okay?" His genuine concern relaxed her and she gestured to the sofa invitingly.

"Not really. There's a group of… people who for some reason decided to make me feel unwelcome in Mystic Falls. But the Salvatores are helping me deal with them." His face grew severe.

"Anything I can do?"

"No, but I welcome any distraction," she smiled.

"Great, because I come bearing news," he replied and fished out his phone to show her some photos. "First, a row of large stones have been uncovered leading east from the circle tomb and beyond the borders of the dig. We don't know where it leads, but it might be another clue to the skeleton's role. Second, we had your skeleton analyzed, and as you know it's really hard to determine how old this mystery woman was when she died. None of the usual indicators can be used. So we cut out an inch of her thigh bone, to see how dense the bone marrow was, hoping it could give us a clue."

"Sure, and? What did you find?" Lea asked excited.

"There was no bone marrow. It was dense bone all the way through, and that's impossible. We all get less bone marrow as we grow older, but we can't live entirely without it. If this is even possible, she would have been over a hundred years old. Most of them barely made it past 50 back then." Lea's eyes lit up.

"That's incredible! It's turning out to be the discovery of the century," she celebrated and was already stringing along new lines of thoughts and explanations. "She's definitely special even if it's only because of her age. Maybe she was revered as a goddess. She must have outlived several generations or maybe…" she didn't finish the sentence out loud but thought to herself, that the skeleton could be the remains of a supernatural being. Mystic Falls seemed to appeal to the freaks of nature.

"You look beautiful when you are happy," Sean spoke.

"I am sorry, what did you say?" Lea asked, preoccupied with the mind-blowing information. He cupped her cheek and planted a kiss on her lips so fast she never had the time to object. She had no idea how to react and simply froze until he pulled away with overwhelming tenderness, making her uncomfortable looking at him. The cold core in her stomach told her she would have to reject him, but she felt bad. Turning her head she felt her heart skip a beat when Damon's harsh blue eyes met hers. He had returned when he heard Sean's car approaching. Where there had been a glow of happiness when they played in the lake, now there was only winter's frost. Before she could stop him he was standing beside them.

"Well well well, did you order take out, Lea?" he asked with craziness beaming from him.

"What the hell man?" Sean spoke irritated and got up to face the vampire.

"Man? Oh but I am so much more," Damon sneered and pushed Lea hard so she flew backwards over the sofa and into the wall. Then he forced his teeth into Sean's neck, ripping it open like a shark.

"Damon stop!" Lea shouted, crawling back on her feet. She got to them and tried yanking Damon out of his blood rush, but he hit her mercilessly so she landed on the floor. The room was spinning and unable to rise again she just lay in a blurry mist looking at Damon's misdeed, seeing his hatred and darkness.

"I really thought that you weren't as bad as you wanted me to believe," she whispered and Damon ceased feeding to look at her, blood flowing over his lips.

"I made it pretty clear what I was," he replied, sadness looming in his voice.

"Get out," she ordered in a low weak tune. "I don't want you to help me anymore."

"You don't have a choice," he answered like he didn't give a damn. "This one came just in time for a little experiment." Damon bent over her touching a spot were her skin had cracked open and dried off the blood. Then he stuck the finger with her red drops unto Sean's tongue. A few seconds passed before the human's chest finally started rising and falling healthily again, Damon smiled unkindly.

"What was that?" Sean asked and sat up, one hand on his spotless neck. Damon rolled his eyes like he considered biting him again. Lea just stared in disbelief.

"What happened is that Lea rejected your kiss by smacking you so hard you fainted like a girl. Now you are feeling depressed and suicidal, and you feel like going out, looking for the nearest puddle of water and drowning yourself." The archeologist's pupils dilated as a reflection of Damon's and he rose defeated, beginning to walk.

"What do you think you're doing? Damon, reverse your mind compulsion now!" she commanded but the dark vampire only shrugged, looking very satisfied. Lea tumbled up and attempted to restrain the man. "Damon, stop him," she fumed.

"Fine. You and your boyfriend are no fun." He snorted. "Hey dirt-boy, listen up; go home and forget this ever happened." Damon looked at her dismayed. "Satisfied?" She nodded rigidly. He smiled and hit the human so hard he spun around before landing right back on the floor.

"Did you think that just because I haven't killed you that I would extend the same favor to your boyfriend here?"

"He's not my boyfriend,"

"Oh I'm sorry, your lover. I bet your husband would like me to kill him."

"Just stop it Damon, I am not married and I think you know that. I know Elena sees goodness in you, but I can't allow myself to see that. You hurt me. You have done nothing but try and hurt me, and when I finally think, that maybe it's okay to trust you, because after all you are here, keeping other vampires away from me, you try to kill a man whose only crime is to like me. You got what you wanted from the beginning, Damon. You got me to see the monster in you." Tears were streaming down her face and she did nothing to stop them. To Damon, it was like standing in front of two rivers bursting out of the earth, attempting to swipe him off his feet.

"You never saw anything but the monster in me, because you didn't want to see anything else, Lea. I was always a vampire to you." His voice was dark, honest and silent.

"It wasn't a vampire who kissed me that night in your bathroom; that was a man with a heart."

"It was. But you rejected him like a monster." His jaw was tense and his eyes furiously prayerful.

"You gave me no reason to think otherwise! Yes you kissed me, after you made me pass out and fed on me." Lea felt angry and hateful.

"You're twisting things, Lea. You offered yourself, because you wanted to feel death-defying. When I met you I wanted nothing more than to drain you, but there was a strange acceptance in your eyes that held me back. At first I thought you were brave, I thought;_ wow a human that doesn't fear death_. And I'm right. It's not death that you fear; it's life."

"You're the one to talk, running around making your own and other's life a misery; trying to manipulate me to make your own pain go away. You are not living life either."

"Because I'm dead! I am allowed to have no life. You are not." He stated flatly.

"Aaand the award goes to Damon from Bullshit Productions," she announced like she was hosting the Oscars. "Being a vampire isn't like being dead. Just look at Stefan; he feels, he loves. You're a monster because you choose to be."

"Oh right, saint Stefan is always the picture perfect brother." Damon growled. "_Damon, you have to be more like Stefan_," he mimicked in Elena's voice. "Then what? You would fall into my arms and love me forever and ever?" he smiled like he was on the cover of a magazine, posing to sell some cologne he hated.

"No." She shook her head. "I can't love anyone, so if you were hoping that I was your loophole to forget about Elena you're mistaken."

"You're in denial. You want me," he whispered loudly and grabbed her arm. Lea kept avoiding his look, but finally she gazed up at him.

"I could never be with you. You are an evil selfish vampire who will only hurt me. I want you gone and I never want to see you again." Her lips were pressed so tightly together they turned white and when he tried to read her green eyes he found none of the gentle welcoming acceptance they usually possessed.

"Alright, suit yourself." He backed away looking like a thunderstorm. Then his fangs popped out, the eyes went black and he raced towards her, locking her in a stone grip. Lea could feel the sharp teeth hesitating on her skin, and she was shivering with anger and fear.

"I hate you," she whispered and he looked at her with monstrous wrath. Then he released her as quickly as he had grabbed her and was gone in the blink of an eye. She stood, breathing heavily and wishing for the ability to run like Damon. Then she would have raced over the continents and never stop until her feet turned to dust.

Sean moaned and started moving.

"What happened?" he asked and looked at her befuddled. She helped him to his feet and led him firmly out the door.

"You are going home." He looked at her and felt sadness, like he had done something that had hurt her terribly.

"Sure, I'll come back tomorrow then," Sean said and fumbled in his pocket for the car keys.

"Don't, Sean. I can't handle it right now," lea rejected and halfway pushed him into his grey Toyota.

"Right… Will I see you again?" his begging eyes made her feel guilty.

"Yes, I'll swing by the dig site sometime," she said, but he didn't seem to believe her.

"Bye Lea."

"Bye."

She watched the car fight its way out through the rough terrain and waited untill it disappeared in the dark before falling to her knees and sulking weakly. Damon's emotional features kept returning to her, and she regretted calling him a monster. But she was also so angry she could barely contain it. She had never seen anyone treat human life so carelessly as Damon, and she could hardly believe that he had the nerve to accuse her of being like him. Maybe life hadn't been the same since the fake death of her fiancé, but she was not a suicidal person and it was perfectly normal to shy away from love after what she had been through. He was just an ignorant vampire. What did he really know about love?

After a while she got up to go back inside, but before she ever took one single step Shedu's dark silhouette appeared before her.

"Hello again _Antum,_" he spoke with dark delight. "It seems your knight in dark armor has left you all alone."


	9. Chapter 9

He returned to the cabin, wondering if she was waiting for him, with a stake in her hand. Damon wanted nothing more than to part her heart from her chest. For some reason she made him forget about his usual schemey way of putting things, and had stripped him naked, making him tell her the blunt truth. The forest bore scars after his rage but in the hours of tearing through it, a hint of reason had nudged its way into his head causing him to slow down. Stefan had called him on the phone and finally brought him out of his blind rage. When Damon told him that Lea could go screw herself, his nuisance of a brother decided to play the Elena _Guilt-_bert card and talked him down.

Damon reached an indifferent state of mind. To get crazy because of Lea was like getting angry with a mosquito. What did he care what she thought of him? So she had a little fun with her friend. If she chose to kiss that dick he wouldn't stand in her way, again.

Stomping back again he breathed in, expecting that ice and earth smell from her skin, but all his nostrils caught was the scent of spice and tea. Damon wrinkled his nose and closed his eyes trying harder to catch her scent but no matter what direction he turned the wind left him wanting. Opening his sharp blue eyes a strange weightlessness in his head accompanied the hollow feeling of having lost something.

Running as fast as his legs could carry him he arrived after 15 minutes and knew, even before he had entered the small house, that she was gone. The heavy smell of the foreign vampires was all around and Damon hit his fist hard into the nearest tree. _I should never have left her! I should have known they would track us. Damn! She is going to be the death of me_. It was no use trying to follow them now. They would be long gone. He turned and ran for Stefan and the others.

...

"You lost her?" Bonnie shouted and jumped at him with eyes widened in anger. "I bet he did it on purpose!"

"Of course he didn't," Elena said and looked at Damon with the question written on her face. He made a twitch of surrender with his mouth and made them all gasp. "You did. You did lose her on purpose! What the hell Damon!?"

"Not on purpose." He turned his back on them and twisted the ring on his finger pensively. "We had a small fight, and I left her alone for a couple of hours."

"A fight? Seriously? What could possibly tick you off enough to engage in a quarrel in a situation like this?" Stefan asked with his arms crossed.

"I might have bitten her boss that Walker-fellow," Damon replied and the others sighed with resignation.

"So what do we do now?" Bonnie asked and looked around at them. Elena shrugged and sent Damon an accusing stare.

"We find her and rescue her," Stefan stated, daring Damon to protest. The elder brother only nodded.

"How do we know she's still alive?" Elena asked.

"No blood, no body. Shedu wanted her for something other than food," Damon explained and grabbed a bourbon bottle, not even bothering to find a glass and swallowed a big mouthful of alcohol.

"She could be anywhere by now. We might need some help on this one," Stefan said flipping his eyebrows.

"No way. I know what you are thinking and we are not contacting any of the Originals again! We barely survived our last encounter with them," Bonnie hissed and Elena flinched at the thought of seeing Klaus again.

"Shedu called Klaus a brat. They've obviously met in the past and Elijah might know where to find them," Stefan objected. "We tend to get innocent people involved in our twisted world; it's the only right thing to do."

"You're right. Lea saved me. We owe it to her to bring her back here, no matter the cost," Elena agreed and Bonnie nodded slowly. They all looked to Damon who stood by the window with a puzzling expression on his face. He drank another sip from the bottle, and then emptied it completely.

"I just knew this would mean more work," he snorted.

"Aren't you the least bit sorry that you got her captured?" Bonnie asked disgusted.

"Trust me; sorry doesn't begin to describe how I feel. Let's get her back before I am crushed beneath your guilt trip," he snapped sarcastically. When the others gathered close to form a plan of action, he put down the bourbon bottle and walked outside.

He couldn't forget her face. It was like someone had engraved it in his cornea. If he had managed just one more ounce of self-control, he could have asked her whether she even wanted Sean Walker to kiss her, and maybe she would have told him that she never asked the jerk for his affection. Maybe he wouldn't have left her and maybe she would have been safe right now. He made an irritated move, not knowing whether to pull his hair or kick the flower pot. He had been fantasizing about handing her over to Shedu and although a part of him was gloating, Damon couldn't help thinking what would happen to her now. Her safety had been his responsibility and she had trusted him; a stupid choice considering his nature.

...

She woke up with a menacing headache. Someone had placed her in a huge luxurious bed with heavy velvet covers. Her clothing was tight around her chest and she realized they had dressed her in a baby blue silk gown, ridiculously lavish in comparison to her regular jeans and t-shirt. It made it hard to breath and she sat up trying to ease the pressure. The thought of Shedu undressing her made her skin crawl and Lea scratched her arms, nervously looking around.

The room was dark, except for a few scattered candles and it was still night. Shedu had grabbed her so fast she never stood a chance and he was terrifyingly strong. Before she had time to yell for Damon he had his arm around her neck, denying her air till she lost consciousness. _Damon probably wouldn't have come anyway. What an ass. _

Where ever Shedu had brought her, it wasn't anywhere near as humble as the cabin. The room was large, with 7 foot tall windows and golden mirrors along the walls. Lea felt awkward having to watch herself from every angle and crawled off of the bed, walking to the window.

Outside the full moon was dressed in dark clouds and there were no streetlights to illuminate the area below. All she could make out was that she was high above the ground. She turned to look at the only door in the room and then ran to it as quickly as her clumsy skirt allowed. It was locked. Her heart was pounding. _This is nuts, how did I get myself into such a situation? _Vampires, kidnapping... it all seemed impossible. When two young men and a kind brown-eyed girl were the extent of her paranormal acquaintances Lea could enjoy the magic of it all. But now, right now, she felt like screaming and kicking. She had come all this way to America to feel free and instead she had been taken prisoner, and she still didn't know why. _God, what if I never get out of here? What if I die in here? _She stumbled backwards and landed on the bed, desperate to get out of the restraining dress.

A shadow moved through the light from under the door. Lea froze and held her breath as the key was turned and the door slowly pushed open. The sound of someone sniffing at the crack made her crawl backwards. A hand with yellow long nails scraped at the floor and a shrieking voice sang.

"Antumn, are you awake?" Lea didn't respond and looked as the creeping woman entered with a hungry smile. The vampire seemed dizzy and crazed when she caught Lea's scent. "Be good Antumn. Let Mara taste."

"No!" Lea said loudly and the female flinched. Then the vampire jumped at her, the long arms knocking Lea on her back. "Let go of me," Lea commanded, kicking the vampire, but Mara simply pinned her to the bed. The filthy nails left red tracks across Lea's white skin.

"Just a few drops," the frenzied female begged and lowered her head to Lea's veins. Lea struggled without success and refused to cry. All she could think of was avoiding the imminent pain from Mara's bite. Fangs graced her flesh when suddenly the vampire disappeared from her and Lea looked up to see Shedu holding the female in a tight grip.

"I told you the human was off limits. If you touch her again I will part your head from your body with my bare hands," he spat and squeezed Mara's throat till she squirmed in anguish. "Don't mind her, Antumn. She won't bother you again."

"_She_ won't bother me?! _You_ kidnapped me!" Lea seethed.

"You weren't being cooperative, but you should consider yourself a guest in this house, Antumn," Shedu said, smiling insolently.

"My name is not Antumn. It's Lea."

"To me you are Antumn. Now you must go. Arawn is anxious to see you." He pointed to a childlike woman who entered and waved at Lea to make her follow. Numb with powerlessness she rose from the bed and trotted after the tiny woman, passing Mara with her head held high.

Lea gawked at the splendor and luxury as she was guided through endless corridors and through pompous rooms. It reminded her of the French palaces and made her feel ever so unrefined. Buildings like this were designed to impress, but Lea would rather spend her life in the small cabin. The great amount of gold and silver encouraged high-heeled shoes, corsets, having superficial conversation and snobbish sports like fox-hunting. Nothing could have made her feel less at home.

Briefly she wondered whether it was a museum, but they came across servants performing daily chores like dusting and running errands. The woman led her down a massive marble staircase, into a great entrance hall. The doors leading outside likened those of a medieval fortress and two man-servants fought to get them open, so Lea and the woman could continue into the garden.

It was a relief to exit the extravagant house and once again taste the cool night air. The garden was as carefully sculptured as the palace. A boulevard of chestnut trees extended from the square in front of the entrance and beyond it laid hundreds of flowerbeds and carefully molded bushes as far as the darkness allowed her to see.

Even in the night the perfume of herbs and roses floated in the wind, enticing the senses. The woman led her through a maze of architectural greenery and Lea wondered if she could manage to escape. It would be easy to find hiding places in this systematic wilderness. The only thing keeping her from running was the all too recent memory of Shedu's strength and speed.

Almost imperceptibly the garden changed from strictly symmetrical into a wilder and more curious place. The trees were old and twisted, the grass so long it lay along the ground like hair. She was so captivated by a group of exotic fluorescent mushrooms that she didn't notice his tall dark figure before the woman guiding her stopped.

He stood with his back turned to them. The hair was pitch-black but longer than Damon's.

"Sir, she's here," the maid announced.

"Thank you, Tina. You may leave us." The voice was dark and had a pleasant gentle lilt. Lea hadn't had a clue who to expect, but certainly not one of handsome stature. _Although the fairest flowers are often the most poisonous_, she thought.

"You have no idea how long I have been waiting for you," he spoke ardently and turned to look at her. The faint light, provided by a clouded moon, revealed a stern face with thin lips and a prominent nose that looked like it had been broken once or twice. The eyes were silvery grey and tucked away under protruding eyebrows. Somehow he was different from any of the admittedly few vampires Lea had met. He wasn't quite so flawless or youthfully beautiful. Nor did he move with the grace and lightness as Damon and Stefan. The face and body was handsome, manly, and if she hadn't seen his fangs when he exhaled she would have thought he was just another human.

It seemed wrong, deceptive, for him to look so mortal and Lea hated deception.

"I realize they probably brought you here against your will, but you don't have to worry. I won't kill you," Arawn said and walked up to her. Lea's silence didn't seem to bother him and he studied her features. She had almost forgotten about the ridiculous dress she was wearing, but his scrutinizing gaze made her awkwardly self-aware. With a coarse finger he removed a lock of hair from her face.

"Did you find your quarters agreeable?" he asked politely.

"I don't find kidnapping agreeable," she cut him off and felt that stubborn strength of hers return.

"I am sure you will forget Shedu's harsh treatment soon. Although I am a patient man, Shedu knew I would want to see you as soon as possible." She curled her lips perplexed, not knowing how to deal with this vampire.

His eyes stroked her almost lovingly, but with a sparkle of something darker.

"You still look magnificent," Arawn whispered loudly.

"Still? We have never met," Lea frowned and he snorted amused.

"Of course we haven't. But you know my name already, yes?" he asked and she nodded. "What may I call you?"

"Lea," she replied flatly.

"How appropriate," he smiled puzzling. "You must be full of questions, about me, about why you are here."

"Vampire," she hesitated, "do you know what I am?" Lea tried to not look too prayerful.

"I do, but you don't, do you?" he asked pleased.

"No. Will you tell me?"

"Oh, Lea. You are so young. I won't spoil the surprise for you." She could feel irritation boil in her stomach.

"Will you tell me why I am here then?" she asked, her frustration painting her cheeks red. Arawn nodded slowly.

"You haven't met me before, but I have met you in another life. I have been waiting for you to return."

"Do you mean like reincarnation?" she spoke dubiously.

"Not for me, obviously. When you died I continued my undead existence. I wouldn't call it reincarnation though. It's a rebirth of powers, not of the soul."

"What kind of powers?" she whispered, her heart beginning to pound harder.

"Powers to grant me what I desire," he answered, circling her like a predator. "You are a unique being Lea, and I need you. I am strong, the strongest vampire you will ever meet and I have turned many a human so they would be strong as well. But none of them matched the strength of their maker. Some of them are like family, like Shedu. To a vampire blood related family is a Holy Grail. We can never procreate; Mother Nature's way of maintaining balance, I suppose. I am strong, but all those I turn are weak, vulnerable, and as a family man, I hate watching them die. You are the key…" he paused and looked at her with strange tenderness, "to that perfect family."

"What?"

"I have brought you here to become my mate and with your powerful blood, do what no other woman on earth is capable of; birthing vampire sons and daughters." Though his face was dead serious, all Lea could think was that it all had to be a bad joke. _Blessed with the powers to be a monster mother_.

"You want me to marry you? I don't love you," she said shocked.

"It's such a strange human notion to marry for love. The choice of a mate should be based on tradition, power or common sense. Those are legitimate reasons."

"Not legitimate to me," she replied with contempt in her voice and backed away like he had hit her.

"You needn't fear that I will force myself upon you. I prefer to be on good terms with the future mother of my children," he promised and bowed his head respectfully. "We have all the time in the world. I will win you over, with or without love. All I need is for you to accept me as your mate, and fulfill a union of unparalleled power. You will find that I know you better than you think, that I can make you content."

"Do you really think I will give you vampire babies?" Lea asked.

"You will be the proud mother of a new generation of my kind, and you will adore every child you bring life." He spoke like there was no doubt in his mind and Lea watched him in disbelief.

"Arawn let me go. Please." A glint of anger flashed through his eyes, but his face remained calm.

"We have talked enough for now. The sun will rise again soon and you have the day to consider my words. Don't bother trying to flee. You are my guest in a room without windows and doors." Arawn bowed for her and disappeared into the shadows.

Lea saw the change in the sky and was happy to watch the vague light grow, as if she was awaking from a nightmare. She sat down in the grass, hoping to wake up in a dull hotel room in Mystic Falls, with her motorbike waiting to take her somewhere wonderfully uninteresting.

As soon as the sun climbed above the horizon she was reminded that she was indeed a prisoner and now she had the perfect view of her cell. The light exposed the huge house behind her and in front of her the edge of a steep cliff surrounding the entire garden. Arawn had chosen his home well, on the top of the world; high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.


	10. Chapter 10

**As you may have noticed this story takes place a few years after season 3. I haven't seen season 4, so I haven't used it in this story. Also the Originals stopped chasing them, because they faked Elena's death WITHOUT turning her into a vampire. The Originals think that Elena is dead and I am excited to hear what you think of these next chapters. **

* * *

Damon was watching the sun rise in the east. Elena and Stefan were in the kitchen, debating loudly whether to contact Elijah or not. In spite of Elena's obstinacy, he knew his brother would win the argument this time. In the end, she would rather face her fears than leave Lea to an uncertain fate. Bonnie was still battling the books and had fallen asleep last night still clinging to a dusty copy of _Origins of the Super Species_.

The Lake house had an air of vacation to it, but Damon couldn't relax. Though the rules of the human world rarely applied to the vampire society he couldn't help feeling that the clock was ticking for Lea. Missing persons not found before 78 hours were unlikely ever to be seen again. For a realist like Damon, it was hard to imagine that they would be able to find Lea, but his brother and he did have an amazing track record for beating the odds.

Damon wasn't quite sure how to feel. Usually that divine switch of his prevented him from dealing with that question, but since he met Lea and after the hours they spent together, he found it difficult to simply remove the sensations from his heart. There was a worry in it that maybe Lea could have changed something in his life and now that opportunity was close to being lost. Perhaps it wouldn't be affection for him that should cause a transformation, but in her presence he felt revived. After having known his heartbeat again, it was utterly difficult to just go on and rest in peace. She was a terrible woman. He hated the way she talked to him, the constant emotions and yet detachment. How could a terrible person affect him in such a way?

"What are you thinking about?" Bonnie asked, yawning.

"That I'll have to do a lot of work today," he replied casually, "Stefan has a tendency to drag me with him on troublesome tasks."

"You are such a cold bastard," she mumbled and went into the kitchen. Soon after she reappeared with Stefan and Elena.

"Okay so say you and Damon go looking for Elijah, how will you find him?" Elena asked him, her big brown eyes full of emotion.

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out," Stefan argued and reached for her hands. "We always do. None of the Originals have to know that you are alive."

"You don't think they'll be suspicious when you come to them for help, after they allegedly drove me to my death?"

"Not if Elijah thinks we are looking for a way to bring Elena back," Bonnie exclaimed and Elena looked at the witch reluctantly. "If we tell Elijah, that Shedu took the Green Blood we found and we want it back, because it might give us the means to resurrect you, it's possible that he would help us. Damon and Stefan could go alone."

"That could work," Elena admitted. "But we still need to find him first."

"Jeremy can help us do that," Bonnie said quietly.

"I haven't seen Jer in a year," Elena told her. "He's always on the road hunting these days."

"Yeah, but we've sort of stayed in touch," Bonnie confessed and received a shrewd look from Elena. "I'll call him," she announced and hurried outside.

"_I_ don't even have his number," Elena said offended and Stefan smiled discretely.

"If we are doing a road trip I don't want you alone here without protection," Stefan said softly and kissed Elena's forehead. Damon rolled his eyes.

"I have Bonnie," she smiled and looked like she loved his concern.

"Just call Caroline. For me?" Stefan asked, sending her his cute look.

"Yeah because the more vampires you have around the safer you are," Damon sighed sarcastically. "Especially Caroline. She is so good at making friends, Originals, werewolves. Maybe she can befriend Shedu to death."

Elena ignored him and kissed Stefan.

"I'll call her, when you know where to look for Elijah."

Bonnie returned with the phone in her hand. She looked unusually soft and a minute passed by in silence until she realized they were all staring at her.

"Jeremy told me he would text me as soon as he knew the exact location," she blushed and looked at the phone, distracted.

"Just like that? Granted; he is efficient that Cutie Pie hunter of yours," Damon winked and made Bonnie shoot angry looks at him. He walked towards the door.

"Where are you going? We are leaving as soon as Jeremy writes back," Stefan asked, tired, not sure how pleasant it would be spending a day in his brother's company.

"If we are to cruise around looking for Elijah and I have to listen to Stefan the Just all the way I am getting myself a Bloody Mary to go."

...

Bonnie and Elena met Caroline at the excavation. They had filled in Caroline on Lea and her story over the phone and at first she had been reluctant to help.

"I don't know how you do it Elena. If people are just a little nice to you, you go to such lengths to protect them."

"Lea did save her life," Bonnie argued, as always finding Caroline a little egocentric.

"I suppose that qualifies her for a rescue mission," Caroline agreed.

"You don't have to participate. Just stick around till Stefan and Damon return," Elena said.

"I can do that," the blond vampire smiled. "What are we doing here anyway? I am not wearing the proper shoes to jump down into that mud."

"We are here to see the skeleton I told you about. The one that was buried beside the Green Blood," Bonnie explained and tried catching Mr. Walker's attention.

"Oh yeah. It's a bit confusing when you don't get to be a part of the story from the beginning," Caroline complained accusingly.

"It's all been happening very fast," Elena reassured her. Sean finally noticed them and laid down his notepad.

"Hi. You're Lea's friends, right?" Bonnie looked for the evidence of Damon's attack, but the man had no characteristic fang marks.

"Yes, she asked us to take a few photos of the skeleton she found," Elena lied and waved her camera phone.

"I was hoping that she would come here herself," he said disappointed. "I've been trying to call her, but she doesn't pick up."

"She is having a major crisis right now," Caroline stated. "Pneumonia. I don't know how she keeps her skin looking so moist when she is working outside in this cold." Sean looked at her and then up in the sky. The sun was shining full of autumn warmth and he was wearing nothing but a t-shirt.

"I suppose you get used to it," he mumbled confused. "The skeleton is being kept at the police station now, to protect it from the… harsh… weather."

"Perfect," Caroline smiled winningly and steered towards the Sheriff's office.

"Dead people are so gross," Caroline whined when Elena pulled the cover from the bones and Bonnie sent her an ironic look.

"Caroline you're pretty dead yourself."

"Yeah, well not too dead to look like that," she winked and tossed her hair. "So what are we looking for?"

"I thought I'd start by touching it. See if I can get a reading." Bonnie removed her skin gloves and cautiously slid her fingertips across the thigh bone. Elena and Caroline leaned back waiting for that vexing expression on Bonnie's face when her mind was bombarded with those magical energy fingerprints, but the black girl frowned. "Nothing. Maybe it was too optimistic to think a 1000 year old skeleton would still have anything left for me to read," she sighed.

"Try again," Elena pressed and searched the bones. "Lea said she found two marks on the neck, like a vampire bite, perhaps if you touch the place where life left the bones, you can get something?" Bonnie nodded determined and stretched her hand towards the skull. A slight vibration reached her skin and when she graced the tiny depressions in the bone memories not belonging to her started flashing before her eyes.

_A tall redhead in a simple linen dress was smiling, creating charming dimples in her cheeks. Her hair was braided in a single thick plait and she was working hard in a modest field, harvesting grain with heavy heads. She was being watched from the shadows of the forest by a handsome man. _

_The vision shifted to a timbered house surrounded by a flower garden with roses as large as cabbage. The handsome man left a tiny branch of baby's breath on the door step along with a note. Then he disappeared, and the red haired woman opened the door, noticing the letter. She unfolded the parchment and a whisper rang through the memory._

_Bring me closer_

_Let me soak you within_

_Let me leak into your bones_

_Seep where only your blood has been._

_The darkness will not come,_

_Not even in the night_

_When you are in my heart,_

_Midnight is bursting with light._

_The sound of the poem faded and pictures of letters and dried flowers flashed before her. The redhead kept on finding gifts of words and flowers from her unknown suitor and although she wore flattered smiles, Bonnie felt a growing concern. Then a familiar object caught her inner eye. The woman in the memory cut herself and let her blood flow into a crystal flask._

It seemed completely unrelated to the man and the letters and Bonnie's brow grew furrowed.

"What do you see?" Caroline asked excited, but the witch hushed at her.

_A small girl stood before the redhead with big teary eyes and shabby clothing. The redhead handed the bottle to the little girl and the way the child bowed submissively in thanks awoke a feeling of recognition in Bonnie's mind. The sight started spinning and a whole lot of pictures flashed by so fast the witch couldn't distinguish anything in particular until suddenly a pair of wrathful eyes stared straight into hers and Bonnie felt the excruciating pain of fangs cutting through skin and into bone. The redhead screamed._

"Hey what's wrong?" Elena asked and tugged on Bonnie's sleeve to stop her from yelling.

"I'm okay," the witch breathed heavily and grabbed her neck nervously. "But I'm not really sure what I just saw." She attempted to bring back the visions by touching the bone, but nothing happened. "I can't get anything more out of it now. Not without something to draw power from." Elena looked around in vain.

"No candles around."

"Not a problem," Caroline smiled cheerfully and peeked out the door before she hurriedly slipped the neck bone down her purse.

"Caroline, we can't steal it!" Bonnie exclaimed worried.

"It's a matter of life and death right?" she asked and the other two shifted uncomfortably. "Great, we'll get you set up at home. In the mean time tell us what you saw."

...

Nightfall came early and the sunset made the mists circling the foot of the mountain a pale purple. Lea's pulse wasn't as peaceful as the scenery. All day she had been exploring the edge of the garden until collapsing exhausted near the only part of the mountain that stretched upwards instead of down. The peak was scarred by centuries of rain and sun and Lea drew strength from its firmness. She was determined not to surrender to this fate. Arawn would not get to decide how she should spend her life and even if she had to be patient for a year or more, she would find a way to escape.

_Sneaky vampire_, she thought, a_cting all courteous, like he is giving me a wonderful gift, when he is in fact only wrapping crap in silk paper. _Although she couldn't see anyone around, there was no doubt that they were watching her. Trying to remember all Elena had told her about vampire weaknesses, she found a branch and sharpened it on a rock. She hid it under her dress.

A slight simmer in the air caught her eye, and she instinctively picked up a tiny rock and threw it over the mountainside. As soon as it crossed over the edge it exploded and was crushed into pieces. Lea gasped and was glad she hadn't tried to jump down with a rope around her waist. Obviously Arawn had been serious when he said there was no door to escape through. However, Lea wasn't a believer in no end situations. Once again she let her eyes wander over the grounds ending back at the mountain towering above her. It made sense putting spells on the edge, but what about the peak? Grabbing another rock she tossed it upwards and there was no explosion. Lea considered the information carefully.

The sun had clawed its way below the horizon and in the growing darkness the girl from last night approached her soundlessly.

"The master is expecting you for breakfast," she spoke with a surprisingly strong voice.

"And if I refuse?" Lea asked.

"Then he told me to say he'll kill me and send another one to get you," the woman quoted her master with a numb expression.

"Oh. Then lead the way," Lea replied bitterly.

When the woman opened the door into the dining room Lea nearly jumped backwards and into the wall.

"What's wrong young Miss?" Arawn's voice sounded.

"Considering that your kind doesn't like sunlight, I wasn't expecting such brightness," she replied, shielding her eyes with a hand as she entered.

"Just because our kind can't walk in the sunlight doesn't mean we don't miss it. This room is a tribute to sunshine as vampires remember it." Her eyes adjusted to the light and she was able to take in the sight. Every surface in the room was covered by mirrors and from the ceiling hung thousands of prisms magnifying the light from suspended candles so the room was full of rays and little rainbows. It was undeniably beautiful. Lea had trouble deciding how big the hall was because of all the confusing reflections. Looking down she saw that even the floor mirrored her every move, and was careful not to lift her skirt so much her panties would be showing. "You seem lost for words," Arawn noted pleased. He was standing at a long table only set with elegant wine glasses and a single plate.

"I am simply tired."

"I see. Come dine with me."

Reluctantly she went to sit on the chair. On the plate lay a piece of toast and a bowl with yogurt. Lea eyed it hungrily and when Arawn waved at it welcomingly she munched through it fast. Arawn started walking towards her. "Better?" Lea nodded. "Good. How do you feel this evening?"

"Is this how it's going to be? Exchanging pleasantries until I surrender to you?"

"We could do that. Or you could dance with me?" he smirked.

"Dance with you? Is this an attempt to woo me?" she mocked.

"Wooing is something I would do to a woman whose love I was trying to win. I don't want your love, only your commitment." She wanted to bite at him but he put a finger on her lips. "And it starts with a dance."

He clapped his hands and two servants ran to remove the table. A squeaky sound rang as all the mirrors turned and the room was filled with noise. Dozens of vampires, dressed in dazzling gowns and black tuxedos waltzed into the room and a youngster with a violin started playing. Lea frowned nervously but the dark vampire reached for her with resolution.

"Just follow me," he whispered and held her around the waist harder than she liked. Effortlessly he lifted her slightly above the ground and led her into the dance in a big sweep. Lea allowed him to do so, but the mere feeling of having him so close made her want to scream. Instead she leaned her head backwards watching the strange sight in the mirrors above her. The dancers looked like flowers twisting towards the sun. The howling violin was so sad she wanted to cry. Arawn stared at her with unwavering intensity. Light was caught in the grey eyes, making them silver and Lea was strangely captivated by those moon-like eyes, as he twirled her around and around. The hissing of moving fabric blurred together with the violin, sounding like wind and water. Slowly she relaxed a bit, still gazing into Arawn's distinguished face. His intensity drew her near, hypnotically sucking her willpower, like a black river uprooting a slender willow tree. Lea knew that his gentleman fashion was cover for a cold merciless heart.

"If I were no use to you, you would kill me without thinking twice about it," she muttered.

"True."

"How long can I deny you before you start considering me useless anyway?"

Instead of replying, he steered her off the dance floor and with a wave of his hand the room shifted once more. A new door opened, revealing a balcony and a clear night sky.

"What will you do to me, when I continue to refuse you?" she muttered and fiddled with her hair. Arawn took a moment to enjoy the clean air, and then he sighed.

"Fortunately for you, your race is a rare one. You are too unpredictable. You don't come from specific bloodlines. If your kind could be found on every corner I wouldn't bother with this charade." He waved his hand back towards the Hall of Mirrors with a tired attitude. "It would have been easier if you were shallow," Arawn remarked and looked at her as if it was a serious character flaw that she wasn't tempted by his gold and glitter. "There was a time when the world was a more suitable place for creatures like us. When I killed your predecessor I didn't think it would be another 1000 years before the powers were reborn. I pride myself with patience, but waiting another 1000 years, that I cannot do." When he noticed her poorly disguised relief he added casually: "No, you are the kind of woman who responds better to threats against others, such a humane characteristic. If I need leverage, Shedu knows where to look for your friends." She looked at him with utter hatred.

"Using someone's kindness against themselves is," she stopped mid-sentence unable to comprehend his words.

"Cruel," he finished for her and tipped his head like she was a curiosity. Arawn leaned forward challenging her silently. She mirrored his moves, while slowly reaching for the crude stake tucked into her stockings. "Be mine Lea, and you will become so powerful, you can claim all you desire."

"I'm sorry to shoot down your motivating speech, but I never really cared for power," Lea rejected.

"Forget about power then," he continued as she raised the stake behind him, "how about freedom?" Lea let her hand, clutching the stick linger momentarily.

"I was free, before you claimed me."

"Really Lea? Were you really free?" Lea wanted to cry yes in defiance, but something inside her silenced the shout. He immediately jumped at her hesitation. "What I can show you, can give you freedom from it all, even me."

"Why would you want to teach me how to be free from you?"

"Because I am convinced that by the time you've learned, I suspect you won't want to leave me."

"Don't be too sure," she whispered and thrust her stake full force into his heart. Arawn staggered a few steps back, a dark expression on his face. Blood was pouring out around the stick. Lea never thought she could bring herself to kill anyone and her hand on the stake was shaking violently. A horrific shimmer went over his pale skin and it almost seemed like time rippled his features and he looked down at the stake in his chest and then started smiling menacingly.

"Nice try. You have a strong arm." She looked at him in horror.

"Well… I'm used to shoveling dirt."

"Archaeology joke, I like it." He pulled her hair hard and extracted the stake. "You should know, that although I told you I wouldn't kill you that didn't mean I wouldn't drink from you," he whispered, "and your blood is the best vitamin shake there is." His bite was like red hot iron sizzling through her. With Damon it had been a gentle sweet pain. This was unbearable searing maddening pain. She couldn't even scream, because her lungs, her organs, tried to implode. Then it all went black.

...

The black Ferrari wasn't exactly a discrete choice of vehicle, but Stefan accepted his brother's passion for cars without a word. Jeremy had messaged them to meet him in Georgetown South Carolina, a six hour drive and Damon was obviously not pleased with having to "rely on that pup of a hunter."

The first hour had passed in silence. Stefan was looking his usual thoughtful self and watched the landscape fly by. Damon eventually cranked up the music and Stefan spent the next many hours trying hard to ignore the sound he best compared to a dental drill. When they approached the meeting place he was close to losing his calm temper, and almost said a silent prayer of thanks as the parking lot came into view.

They pulled in at the gas station. Jeremy was sitting on the hood of a blue pickup truck, looking like a mixture of Van Helsing and an old school rock star.

"Oh my god, is that little Jer jer?" Damon spoke with an overly enthusiastic voice.

"Play nice Damon," Stefan warned and got out of the Ferrari. "Remember, he has done nothing but kill our kind for the last year."

"Hey guys, good to see you again," Jeremy waved at them. "Ready to go, brothers Salvation? First my sister, now this Lea? For vampires you spend a lot of time _rescuing _humans, Damon."

"Please me tell you aren't trying to get on my nerves, Gilbert?"

"Just easing the mood. If we are heading for a date with an Original you two might be my last chance for romance."

"Look who grew a sense of humor," Damon grinned approvingly.

"It's sort of a requirement in my profession, along with plenty of beer."

"Wow I think I like you this way, Jer Jer."

"If you two are done bonding we have business to attend to," Stefan sighed impatient.

"Is he always like this?" Jeremy muttered.

"Always." Damon rolled his eyes.

...

The house looked lonely and stoic, very appropriate for a member of the Original family. They spent half an hour debating how to approach the building until Jeremy finally just got up and marched towards the front door. Damon laughed approvingly, but Stefan watched with concern.

"Come on little bro. We can't just hide here while a human steps into the Lion's den."

They followed and studied the colorful welcome mat which greeted them when they reached the door.

"Are you sure this is it?" Stefan asked skeptically and tried seeing through the dark windows.

"Yes. I like to keep an eye on potential trouble and a friend of mine told me Elijah is here." Jeremy knocked on the door and they heard someone bounce off a chair and rustle with keys.

"Hello?" A girl with lively eyes appeared, and Damon stretched for a glimpse of Elijah.

"Hi, I'm Jeremy and this is the Salvatore brothers. Is Elijah here?" Damon was tempted to imitate the childlike request, but concluded that it didn't serve their purpose.

"Yeah, are you friends of Eli?" she asked with an endearing innocence, but before they could answer, the unmistakable tall shape of the Original emerged.

"More like annoying acquaintances," he snorted and tucked on his shirt sleeves. As always he was impeccably dressed and wearing his usual superior attitude. "Why are you here?"

"To ask for your help," Jeremy said eyeing the girl hesitantly. Elijah gathered his hands behind his back and looked to the girl as well with a surprising amount of tenderness.

"Amy love, go read your book. I'll be taking a walk with these gentlemen." She responded with a sweet smile and kissed him on the cheek before disappearing. The three visitors gawked at the scene, but wisely refrained from comments as the ancient vampire strolled past them and headed for the beach. "If you are here to kill me, don't be stupid. I can easily beat all three of you. It was Klaus who wanted Elena dead, not me."

"We know," Stefan spoke, his natural painful expression for once perfectly suited for the situation. "We come to you, because Elena considered you an ally, and a man of honor." The roar of the sea forced them all to raise their voices. "That is why we choose to trust you, when we tell you that we are trying to revive her." Elijah laughed a brief harsh laughter.

"And how do you intend to find a cure for death?" he questioned and turned to face them.

"Green Blood," Damon smirked casually and discretely grinned when he saw Elijah's obvious reaction.

"Green Blood is a myth. What do you want from me?" he voice was hoarse enough to expose his lie.

"You know it's real. We need information," Jeremy said. "The brothers managed to recover some of this blood, but a vampire named Shedu stole it for his master, Arawn." The faintest flash of recognition and worry traced over Elijah's eyes. "Shedu knows Klaus. He called him a... brat?" Jeremy looked to Stefan who nodded affirmatively. "So we guessed that you knew him too." Elijah made a puzzling twitch.

"I am vaguely familiar with him."

"Judging by your reaction, I'd say you are more than vaguely familiar with him," Damon squinted. "Someone who calls an Original a brat has got to have some skills, right? What did he do to you? Did he steal an important meal? Defile your sister? Kick your ass?"

"Just stop guessing at what you cannot possibly know," Elijah snapped aggressively. "I cannot help you. Shedu is a puppy, too confident in its master to run when it should. But I think you should forget about your Green Blood. Arawn won't be so willing to part with it. If I were you, I would find another miracle to salvage Elena."

"Now look," Stefan began, but Elijah cut him off.

"No matter how noble a soul Elena was, this is not something I can help you with." Stefan and Jeremy considered an argument that would convince him, but Damon started walking in big circles.

"So Elijah, you are a sort of super vampire with a hybrid psycho brother who killed a woman the three of us cared for. What kind of vampire can make an Original tremble, I wonder?" Elijah looked tormented and stole a glance back at the house. "This Amy seems nice." Elijah's eyes turned sharp and cold. "Oh I didn't mean to sound like I was threatening her. She is adorable, human if my nose doesn't betray me, kind of like Elena." Jeremy caught the drift.

"Yeah, a sweet vulnerable girl, who by no fault of her own fell in love, and was dragged into a dangerous world of vampires."

"Are you really emotionally black mailing me?" he asked contemptuous.

"We are in no position to pressure you," Stefan insisted. "You know that." Damon stepped forward.

"We just need your help." Elijah studied Damon's face intricately.

"You are going to need a lot more than my help if you are going after Arawn."

"Please cut the mystery crap and talk plainly. Why is Arawn such a big deal?" Jeremy asked with boyish courage. The old vampire frowned reluctantly.

"I suppose I couldn't care less if you get yourself killed."

"Gee your empathy is touching," Damon bowed.

"I don't know how to find Arawn. He is a shady character, but Shedu has certain... habits that make him traceable. A strange perversity for a vampire."

"Aren't we all slightly perverted?" Damon grinned smug. Jeremy nodded in amused agreement and Stefan glared at their newly found compassion.

"Shedu doesn't particularly enjoy human blood. He prefers bull blood. If you want to find him, look for someone buying up prize bulls. Should be easy with all your modern technology," he snorted repulsed.

"Bull blood, got it," Jeremy said and quickly texted Bonnie.

"Great, see that was relatively pain free," Damon triumphed and moved to return to his Ferrari.

"Before you venture into certain death, there is something you should know. Arawn won't die by a simple stake in the heart."

"That's just great..."

...

"Jer says we have to search for someone buying bulls and we'll find Shedu." Bonnie looked confused, but Caroline was beaming.

"Shopping, finally we're on my territory." She reached for her the laptop and the other girls sneaked into the living room setting up candles. It was no use disturbing Caroline when she devoted herself to a project.  
"How long do you think it'll take her?" Bonnie smiled.

"With her magical dominion over the credit card... 10 minutes max.," Elena humored and finished dividing the candles. "Do you think this will work?"

"Yeah just stand back. Let's see what secrets this broad is hiding." Bonnie closed her eyes and the flames blazed up. Elena was always a bit worried when the witch performed her rituals. It wasn't the danger of the power, but the expression on Bonnie's face when something horrific appeared in her mind - which, let's face it, was the norm rather than the exception on occasions like this. The bone started shaking.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Elena warned. The flames only burned brighter. Slowly Bonnie leaned forward, placing a finger on the white surface.

"Vertebris ostende mihi vestra memoria, commoda mihi oculis vestris." The chant sent vibrations through the room. The visions started rippling across her face.

_"I'm scared to go back," the small girl told the red haired woman. _

_"Don't worry Mara, I'll walk with you." She offered her hand and the girl took it. "After we bring this to your village, the plague can never bother them again." The girl nodded nervously and they headed into the woods. Time passed by quickly as they walked and finally the trees yielded for a glade with simple wooden houses. _

_"Are you sure the plague was here? It looks so peaceful." She looked at the girl who crumbled under her stare. _

_"I didn't lie to you, when I said it was a matter of life and death," she squeaked apologetically. "But I couldn't tell you the whole truth." Then she rushed to a house where a woman stood waiting by the fence. Bonnie gasped. _

_Suddenly the handsome man she had seen in the earlier vision stepped in front of the red head with startling determined eyes._

The candles died out and Elena hurried to her side.

"What did you see?"

"Just another piece of the puzzle. The skeleton, the red-head, she gave some of her blood to another woman."

"You look worried. What was it about this woman?"

"It was Esther, the mother of the Originals."

"What? How are they connected to the Green Blood?"

"That is a question for Elijah, I think."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: O****bviously I am terrible at sticking to one point of view, but since the series also follow several persons I am taking the liberty of not caring :P As always please review if you like or dislike.**

* * *

"I just got an interesting text," Jeremy said and handed the phone to Damon.

"That is interesting," Damon scratched his chin and Stefan leaned over to read. "And I thought we were all out of questions."

"You three are worse than a bad detective novel," Elijah sighed and massaged his temples. "Just speak plainly before I reconsider my civil approach to your visit."

"We were just thinking, that since there's Green Blood involved you and your family have a special interest in our quest." Elijah froze.

"I guess this is where I decide whether to put my cards on the table or simply dispose of the other gambler. This is a part of my family's story we have never shared with anyone, and I don't make a habit of betraying old secrets."

"You can't possibly have any more family issues," Damon spoke cockily and Stefan pushed him gently backwards.

"Elijah, from one vampire in love with a human to another, please help us. Any information can give us an edge. For Elena?" Elijah looked to Damon.

"Yeah, for… Elena," Damon repeated. Elijah seemed to contemplate his options. Then he shrugged in surrender.

"You will keep this secret if I share it with you?" he wondered out loud. "Probably not. Very well. Shedu is a pup, but he is an old pup. Older than me I fear."

"Older than you? How can that be when you're an Original?"

"My family are Originals, just not the Originals."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Stefan enquired.

"We are Originals. We weren't created by other vampires. We were made through a curse."

"Yes yes, we know all this," Damon complained and Elijah nearly sneered at him.

"The point being, that if we could be created, so could others. You know how we transformed; our mother made a ritual, a ritual that involved the blood of the doppelgänger. An important ingredient indeed, a real power boost giving us speed and strength, but the key, the reason we were able to rise from the grave was the gift of Green Blood." They listened in shocked silence.

"We never got that part of the story," Stefan brooded.

"No you did not. We don't run around sharing the recipe with just anyone."

"But Shedu had the recipe, since he's older than you?"

"Shedu is no Original, but Arawn is, and he is the very first one."

"You have got to be kidding me. You aren't the Original Originals? Seriously? But he can't be worse than your family," Damon sighed with a smile, but Elijah's facial expression wiped the grin off his face.

"Actually Arawn is not like us, he is stronger, more powerful."

"Because he's older?"

"No. Because he was born a vampire. Not much is known about him. Unlike my family he never liked promoting himself as a prime. He is laying low, at least since my family was made."

"How can someone birth a vampire?" Jeremy asked.

"I am not sure even Arawn knows. There are stories though; the most popular is that a goddess planted him inside a woman. The goddess was angry with mankind and birthed Arawn to punish them, but she lost control of her child and it spread its decease throughout the earth."

"Okay, so in case we bump into this legend, how do we kill him?" Damon asked, seemingly unaffected by the dooming picture Elijah was painting.

"You don't kill him, you run. Even though he feels pain, no weapon I have ever heard of can actually kill him." Elijah looked into a distant memory.

"Have you ever met him?" Stefan enquired.

"Twice. The first time was before my mother turned us. I didn't know who or what he was at the time and I reckon he played some part in our curse. The second time was when my family attempted to kill him, which did not work out so well. And that, I'm afraid, is all the information I can offer."

"Thank you for your time, it'll do for now," Jeremy said and bowed mechanically. Stefan moved to hurry back to the car and Jeremy followed. Damon made a lazy salute and Elijah turned towards the house.

"Oh and Damon?"

"Yes?"

"Give my best to Elena when you talk to her and a kiss for that other girl you're all trying to safe. If you get the chance that is."

...

"I'll never question Caroline's title as Queen of Shopping," Elena stated solemnly on the phone and Bonnie giggled in the background.

"She found Shedu already?" Stefan asked surprised. He was sitting in the Ferrari with Damon beside him who was moping over some nagging thought.

"Yep, and she has proclaimed herself Miss Cute and Clever of Mystic Falls for the remainder of the day. I reckon she earned it," Elena sighed.

"I am sure she did. So where should we drive from here then?"

"Blue Ridge Mountains, I'll text you the address." Caroline snatched the phone from Elena's hand full of energy.

"Hi Stef, you should really hear the tale of my brilliance. I made a profile claiming to sell a flock of prized bulls, and got an offer after only a few minutes, by a guy with the way too obvious name BiteMe7000. I accepted his offer and got an address for delivery."

"You sound like you are really confident that it's Shedu."

"I am sure it's him. My vampire senses are tingling," she assured him.

"Great, we'll talk later." Stefan disconnected and left Caroline with a sour expression.

"Your boyfriend is totally rude," she seethed and dropped the phone on the table. Elena sat thinking for a while. Bonnie noticed her brooding.

"No. I have seen that face before Elena. Let the boys handle this," the witch said, reading her mind.

"We can get there faster than they can, and we don't know how much time Lea has."

"If she's not already dead," Caroline added and was immediately met with eye rolling.

"Jeremy texted me and told me what Elijah had to say. It sounds like this Arawn is bad piece of work Elena. I don't think we should go alone," Bonnie shook her head.

"I have a witch and a vampire with me. We aren't exactly defenseless." Elena argued and put on her jacket.

"She is right Bonnie. Besides, I am dying to meet this Lea we are busting our buts for."

"Then it's settled. If we go now we can get there before midnight."

...

Lea gained consciousness a few hours after Arawn used her as a juice box and although the room continued to spin, she was determined not to give him a chance like that again. Her neck had been cleaned of blood, but the two lacerations from his teeth were throbbing painfully. Lea was furious. Being raised in a family who had nurtured a notion of self-worth the degrading way he had forced his lips upon her, made her want to neuter him slowly with a blunt blade. I am not staying another second.

Arawn had brought her back to the same bedroom from before and the only thing that had changed was a slender dress form placed near the bed, covered in a new gown. It was green with multiple ruffles draped down the skirt. A parrot costume, was the first thought that came to her mind. Fastened on the chest was a note written in neat red letters.

Wear this dress when you decide to commit. Then the ritual of power and freedom will commence.

In sheer spite and anger she ripped the heavy sleeves off it and considered fetching a candle to set the rest on fire. When she noticed the door was slightly gaping the thoughts of escape overruled her desire to destroy and she ran to check the hallway. Arawn was apparently so confident in his fortress that he hadn't even bothered guarding her room. She wondered if it would be safer to wait until daytime, but the impatience in her convinced her otherwise. Truth be told Lea wasn't particularly ninja quiet sneaking through the house in the blue gown. It rustled like tin foil with every step and she was certain she was calling a lot of attention to herself. In spite of this, no one came to stop her and the building seemed empty. She almost had a heart attack when she entered through a room and a man was mopping the floor for blood. Several seconds passed while Lea stood frozen, waiting to be spotted, but the man never lifted his head. Not even when she rustled on.

Fortunately she remembered the way to the big stairs and the entrance hall. She kept expecting someone to call her name harshly but most of the walk there was only silence. A distant sound of music and merriment echoed as she reached the big marble stairs and she hoped the vampires were all occupied with dancing in the Hall of Mirrors.

The huge doors to the garden were open, and she wondered briefly if this had been too easy and Arawn was setting some sort of trap for her, or if he was simply mocking her, thinking there was no way she could get down the mountain. A blessed unclouded moon lit the way for her through the garden as she made her way to where the mountain continued upwards.

Lea had never been a fan of heights and the sight of the towering peak made her stomach protest. The fact that she hadn't really slept much the last 24 hours didn't encourage mountain climbing but she didn't want to waste time. She began shredding the blue skirt she was wearing into long pieces that could be tied together as rope. Besides it wasn't practical clothing, even if she felt naked with only a pair of hipsters and the top of the dress. She decided to not use all of the fabric, so it at least looked like she had a little skirt to cover her.

It took her longer than she expected to find a place that didn't look too steep and when she finally began climbing her bare feet and hands quickly started aching. She had climbed a small mountain once on a holiday with her parents in Ireland, but that was for fun and never so steep that they needed any equipment. And it was fun. This wasn't. Traitorous loose rocks kept falling when she supported a foot on them and more than once she stopped, clinging on for her life and trying to build up the courage to go on. Her heart galloped in her chest and drummed so loudly she was sure that someone would hear it. Once in a while she glared at the windows of the house, praying that no one would want to enjoy the view, instead noticing her white legs and arms in the dark, fighting to hang on.

A tiny voice inside of her started growing as she got higher and higher. It was singing a rebellious tune, enjoying the danger, reveling in the challenge. But every time she nearly tripped or her sweaty hands almost lost their grip it cowered and sang a prayerful song instead. Lea worked on through the dark hours.

...

Elena, Caroline and Bonnie arrived at a big lonely farmstead at the foot of one of the taller mountains. It looked deserted, although the call of a bull from one of the stables told them it wasn't.

"They can't be holding her here," Caroline dismissed.

"Why not? She could be in the main building over there," Bonnie suggested whispering.

"The boys told you we are looking for another Original right?" The other two nodded. "Remember the last ones we fought? They would never settle for a home this shabby. They are champagne and chandelier people."

"I suppose," Elena admitted, "but this is the only clue we've got. So spread out and see if you can find anything interesting."

The stables lay in four rows with a single main house at the end. There was no light anywhere and the house looked like it had been abandoned for decades. Bonnie mumbled small incoherent spells to force new clues to reveal themselves and Caroline was busy avoiding droppings whilst looking through the long stables.

Elena had a sudden hunch and walked towards the forest behind the farm. She squinted and thought she saw a flickering light high up on the mountain, barely the size of a speck of dust. The sound of the uneasy cattle in their boxes was a creepy soundtrack and she wondered if it would be wiser to walk together after all. Then she noticed a path leading inbetween the trees and instinctively started following it.

Bonnie hadn't moved much when the black Ferrari came up the road and parked beside Caroline's Ford.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked, barely masking his anger. "I guess you brought Caroline and Elena too?" Bonnie snapped out of her trance.

"Of course Elena came. You don't know her very well if you think she would just sit and at home and wait." Bonnie wasn't happy with his scolding and turned to Jeremy instead with a shy smile.

"Right, because saving Lea isn't enough, now Elena has to endanger herself. Are you sure you're giving her enough attention Stefan?" Damon smirked and slammed the car door smoothly. Caroline came running, having heard the unmistakable sound of Damon's car.

"Guys, can you save it for later? I can feel that we're close, but I don't think Lea is here," Bonnie said.

"Then where do we go?"

"I think Stefan should go find Elena, and we'll go find Lea. Then we search the mountain. If nothing else, the view from up there might reveal something."

"That sounds like plan. Give a call if you find anything," Jeremy ordered and Stefan ran after Elena's trail of scent. Damon was assessing the view of the mountain thoughtfully and fiddling with his ring.

"Jeremy and I will go around and up from the other side. You girls keep searching this place; see if you can find anything useful." Caroline nodded determined and dragged Bonnie back towards the main building. "Try and keep up Jer Jer," Damon smiled and started running in human pace.

The forest was thick and old. The trees and plants had been allowed to grow and rot free of human influence, resulting in a jungle like wilderness. Jeremy and Damon rushed through the rugged undergrowth. They had somehow achieved an adult understanding, but the tense situation required concentration and they pressed on in silent search for tracks. Vampires were hunters and considered themselves above humans in the food chain. Therefore they rarely concerned themselves with the traces they left behind. Neither did these fellows. Jeremy had become an excellent tracker in his time away and he snorted at the incompetence of the ones they were after.

"There's plenty of foot prints," he stated with a furrowed brow. "We can rule out the sneaker prints, like those there." He pointed to the ground but Damon barely glanced in his direction.

"Why not the sneakers?"

"Let's assume they belong to regular hikers. Vampires care more for style and less for comfort." Damon looked to his own Italian handcrafted shoes and sneered, slightly irritated that the pup was right. The darkness made it hard to see much though and the moon had little power beneath the shady trees. Damon allowed his instincts to take over. The prowler-like animal inside of him shook its shoulders and growled, preparing to leap forward. There was a familiar faint smell of chill in the air that he associated with Lea's neck, but it could merely be the air from the mountain tops. Closing his eyes he focused on sounds and smells guiding his senses. Something was off. Forest by night time usually sounded like an orchestra of insects and shifting leaves. The black woods were an abandoned concert hall. There was no warm scent of beasts or bunnies either.

"Screw tracking. Let's go straight for the top," he commanded and Jeremy shrugged, recognizing the stern impatient tone.

The temperature dropped as they ascended quickly, but the steep trip kept Jeremy warm. Damon contemplated their chances to get in, grab Lea and get out without calling attention to their presence. Some bit of him told him this was the place. Shedu had taken something from them that was not for the taking, and if there was one thing Damon excelled at it was acts of vengeance. Lea was a nuisance. After their last conversation he wasn't eager to see her. But that did not mean he wished her an uncertain fate as the prisoner or meal of an Original. Not at all. In fact the world might become a much less interesting place if that death-defying woman took her leave from it.

...

The sweat from her exertion left her skin cold and she was shivering, exhausted. Not really sure how she had made it this far up and managed to edge herself halfway round the peak. Fingers crossed, she thought and found a loose rock. Throwing it downwards she hoped that Arawn had only spelled the edge of his garden and not the entire mountain. Lea held her breath and gasped relieved when the rock passed the line without exploding.

It wouldn't be long before someone noticed she was missing and she prayed that morning would come soon, hindering their pursuit. Her fingers were nearly numb, but she suddenly felt confident she could make it. She could escape. Strength and stubborn resistance pumped through her body and her legs felt like they could run a marathon. Climbing down went faster and soon Lea felt level ground under her feet.

Briefly she was tempted to simply cry out victorious. The adrenalin, however, denied her the pleasure and carried her straight on down the mountain, tripping, falling and getting back on her feet. Lea was accustomed to running from her problems and every step felt liberating, mocking Arawn and his vicious plans. Thorns and twigs bruised her feet. She ignored it. Tears of stress rolled down her cheeks. She ignored them, only concerned with getting a good head start, before an inevitable chase began.

A deep rumbling behind her likened that of a man's roar. He knows.

...

Damon stopped in his tracks listening to the new sounds that barged towards him. The swishing of branches could be mistaken for the doings of a playful wind, but it came from many directions at once. Jeremy had heard it too and lowered himself to the ground to listen.

"We are not alone, something is happening."

"Have we been discovered?" Jeremy asked, quickly reaching for the weapons in his belt. The muffled noise of running feet sounded like it came from everywhere around them, but Damon dismissed it by shaking his head.

"We haven't, but the others might have been seen. There's only one heading in our direction, the rest is running east."

"What now?"

"We do what we came for. Let's kill the one heading for us and then get Lea while they are distracted. The others can handle themselves." He jumped up into a tree and Jeremy found cover behind a boulder, preparing his crossbow. The woods had changed from quiet and ominous to a vibrant tense arena. Damon had a distinct smile on his face. This is what I do best. Murder and mayhem. The complexity of people and feelings were challenges he would rather leave to the living. The perfect kill was where he could feel at home.

The oblivious victim was slow, though it headed straight for them. He prepared his muscles for the charge enjoying the few moments to consider whether to go for a clean decapitation or a messy heart extraction.

A shadow ran in between them and Jeremy fired the crossbow too late, the arrow missing by an inch. Cursing he fumbled for a new dart. Damon jumped down knocking the stranger to the ground and pinned him down by sitting on top. He wrapped his hands around the reluctant head and was just about to rip it clean off when a defiant pair of green eyes were exposed under the golden mass of hair. Lea kicked and twisted, not willing to surrender, until she realized the vampire on top of her wasn't restraining her.

"I am having a sort of deja-vu here. Haven't I tried to kill you before?" he grinned with warmth in his eyes. She looked up at him with a mixture of gratitude and anger, her hair and clothes looking like Arawn had had his way with her. The hands were blistered and her knees dirty and bloody.

"You came for me…" she croaked and looked like she wanted to hug him.

"The others insisted we try to save you."

"Oh."

"Great to meet you, Lea," Jeremy said popping into view. "I am all for the big reunion, but I think right now we should get out of here. Can you run?" She nodded but when she got back on her feet all the weariness from the climb rushed over her and she quickly fell behind as they broke into a sprint. Damon eyed her and stopped.

"We didn't come here to get captured, Lea." Without further argument he swept her off her feet and ran on. Involuntarily she surrendered to her fatigue and leaned her cheek against his leather jacket. The blessed adrenaline that had kept her going in the last hours evaporated when she saw Damon and Jeremy, like their presence equaled a safe haven where she could trust them to carry her home. Her body was a rather limp cargo and her breathing decreased, going from heavy to minimum requirement. The vampire and hunter allowed no break for themselves and Jeremy never tore his eyes from their surroundings, not even when he texted the others to meet them by the cars, because Lea was found. Not even when they made it out of the forest, did she stir. Damon gently placed her in the Ferrari and the comforting smell of leather finally got her to focus.

"The others aren't here yet," she heard Jeremy call. "You just get going back to Mystic Falls. I'll find the others and we'll meet you there." Damon mumbled a reply and she felt his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you hurt?" She blinked at him and shook her head. Numbly she sat still, as he searched her to confirm the statement. When he was satisfied, he made sure she was sitting comfortably.

"Good. Now let's get you home."

The car moved smoothly on the road and for a while she simply enjoyed being swept through the landscape. It was liberating knowing she was moving further and further away from Arawn and with an odd appreciation of falling asleep without being knocked out she devoted herself to a soothing dream.

Damon was looking uncharacteristically severe when she woke up. They were still driving and he was staring at the road with intensity, his hands choking the steering wheel. Without letting him know she was awake she studied him from under half closed eyelids. He was such a complex person.

Lea knew that this kind act of his was no evidence of a pure heart. Damon was capable of evil, without any moral scruples. Worse than an animal, because he did not only kill to survive, he liked it, reveled in it. Still, when they last saw each other she had called him a monster, a claim she couldn't fully justify at the moment. He might be a vampire, but he wasn't rotten to the core. His attempt to dismiss his involvement in her rescue with his comment that it was the others who insisted didn't quite fit with the warmth in his eyes when he recognized her. Lea praised her ability to see through pretenses and was certain Damon cared on some level. The murder written on his face had been replaced with cold indifference towards her, and she reckoned that was all the progress she could ask for from a guy like him.

Her thoughts wandered away from his character traits and on to more physical aspects. This was something she had only briefly allowed herself earlier, but in the shelter of the dark car, covered in his leather jacket that she only just noticed had been tucked around her, she felt safe enough to let her eyes linger.  
Damon was the definition of a tall, dark, stranger. The black locks of hair curled gently and looked as fine as raven feathers. A jar of particularly manly shape gave her the morbid idea that he would be a handsome skeleton. Not exactly a sexy thought, but Lea had often seen very mannish skulls and joked about how hot they would have looked in flesh and skin.

The shade covering his chin told her he had forgotten to shave and she liked the look of it. A beard made him look older and considering his actual age, it was a bit more appropriate. Arawn's face briefly crossed her mind, making her shudder. His features were reminiscent of Damon's, but Damon's cruelty slightly paled in comparison to the King of Sickos. What happened between her, Damon and Sean was not forgotten, however. Lea still hated him for what he did to Sean. It never occurred to her that those actions could have been motivated by something else other than evil, something more humane. But surely the circumstances had changed now that he had saved her. Damon almost seemed human... Even attractive… perhaps. Her annoying inner voice started bitch slapping her ferociously._ Are you kidding?! Just because he happened to be the one who found you, you suddenly ascribed him a freakin' hero status. Don't make me remind you why we avoid men, good and bad! It would be darn idiotic to trust (and potentially flirt with) someone who has already proven to you that he is nasty and acts on every impulse._ Without meaning to, the sight of his tightly pursed lips propelled her mind back to a certain bathtub scene, while the little voice in her head raged on, stomping on her brain and declaring Damon Salvatore the biggest dick the universe had ever seen - in the negative sense of the word, of course.

His sudden turn of the head in her direction silenced all her chaotic thinking. She must have looked utterly confused and ruffled, because his glance was gleaming, amused. The gleam soon vanished though, and he turned his eyes back on the road. The lack of a sly comment made her look everywhere but at Damon. Finally it dawned on her that she owed him some gratitude.

"Thank you for coming to get me." He sighed almost reluctantly.

"An apparently unnecessary endeavor. You were doing pretty well on your own." The implied comment surprised her.

"I guess so, but thanks anyway."

"I didn't figure you would be feeling grateful. After all, my little stunt left you vulnerable in the first place. I thought we agreed I am the monster whose every action is self-beneficial." His strained voice told her he was still bitter about their fight. So was she, but frankly Damon seemed like a wronged child in comparison to Arawn - the lesser of two evils. Right now she was so damn relieved she couldn't match his bitterness.

"Of course you are. You're still an egocentric self-serving, immature old man who worships that mirror God every morning and justifies using your powers for evil." She made a super villain theme noise and then laughed as if she found the whole thing marvelously funny.

"And you are still a mood-swingy puny, not to mention silly girl, with a very gutsy approach to a monster who mostly thinks of you as that extra rare steak." He flipped his eyebrows up and down, the amused gleam returning.

"Glad we established that. The balance is restored. We don't like each other and as long as you aren't overcome with a sudden desire for steak, that shall be the end of it."

Damon glanced at her shabby but happy charisma and felt an unnatural urge to pat her comradely on the shoulder. Whatever Arawn had done to her it certainly hadn't killed her spirit. A pity, he smirked, but with more amusement than cruelty. He was surprised that she had managed to get away herself after everything Elijah had told them. She was as resourceful in her actions as in her mouth. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to start the conversation about what she had been through, and she in turn did not appear eager to blab about it. By the weird mini dress she was wearing, he would have guessed Arawn had taken her to a Japanese Manga convention, which she had been wildly opposed to. Even in spite of the fierceness in her posture, she looked torn and tired. A memory drifted over her face leaving her eyes glossy. A strange sting in his stomach, that had bothered him since they last parted, hadn't left and was amplified by her sadness. Was he feeling guilty? Damon rejected the idea and decided to devote his concentration to the road.

"How did you find me?" Lea asked, out of the blue.

"Has Elena told you of the Originals yet?"

"Yes?"

"We had help from them."

"I see." Lea drummed her fingers against her thigh. "You're not really your usual chatty Kathy self," she concluded after another moment of silence.

"I wouldn't say you know me well enough to comment on what is usual for me."

"Okay, so maybe I don't know the entire range of facets that are the Damon Diamond, but I do know that you can't stop cracking jokes, whether you are mad or.. not unhappy."

"It's great I have you to supply the comical attributions to this talk then," he bit with dry sarcasm.

"You didn't have to come all this way to help rescue me," she said like she had his bad mood figured.

Damon chose not to answer, ignoring that pesky ache in his belly as well. She was giving him ulcers. If he had known she would affect him like this, he would probably never have hunted her to begin with. (Although she still smelled vexing, a fact he was made very aware of sitting this close.)

"What is going to happen now?" she wondered out loud.

"That depends; why did they take you?" Lea flushed.

"He wanted me to breed vampire babies."

"What?" Damon almost steered the car off the road. "Did he... did you?"

"No, God no. But apparently that is my special power, why my blood is different. And I am guessing that means he will chase me to the end of the earth. The second we get back to my bike I'm out of here. I won't have you guys caught in the line of fire, when he is coming for me."

"You're leaving?" Damon asked.

"Yes I am. Frankly I'm tired of dealing with men who try to take advantage of me." Damon pursed his lips; sure her comment was meant for him as well.  
"It's probably for the best," he murmured. The idea of her leaving did not awake the expected pleasure in him.

Lea sat looking out the window. The relief and happiness she had felt from being rescued was slowly diminishing. She had to run again. It had been the easiest choice in the world when she chose to leave for the US. But now, in spite of everything, Mystic Falls had grown on her. For a person used to running, it was the strangest thing, feeling a desire to settle. She wanted to stay and fight, but she knew it would have consequences for herself - and worse - for her friends. How could she hope to beat Arawn? She couldn't ask Elena and the others to risk any more on her behalf. No, she had to run.

The sky changed color as they crossed the city line and Damon drove up the driveway to the boarding house.

"I thought we were supposed to hide?" Lea wondered.

"We're done hiding, especially if you're leaving." He got out and headed for the door which he tore open. Lea's feet were still naked and sore as she limped after him across the gravel. Refusing to complain, she grimaced silently and found her way to the big living room. Damon noticed her wobbly walk from the corner of his eye while he was reuniting with his favorite bourbon.

"Sit down," he ordered harshly and she only pouted for a moment before submitting to the cloud-like softness of the huge armchair. Without a word he seized her by the heels and crouched down. The soles of her feet were back with dirt and several thorns were buried there. An unfamiliar expression ran over his face when he lifted his chin and displayed an accusing blackness in his eyes.

"You said you weren't hurt." He went into the kitchen cursing her pride. For a human she did not take good care of her decaying body. She acted as if she had vampire quick heal skills. Her indifference towards death would leave her very scarred in fifty years. He filled a small tub with hot water and soap, found a cloth and tweezers too.

Lea's eyes nearly popped out of her head when the dark vampire returned with his remedies and kneeled before her, stripped of sarcasm. She took in the sight with reverence, knowing that a gesture such as this was probably unprecedented, even if it didn't mean anything. His movements were irascible, but the touch gentle as he guided her feet into the water and began washing them.

Damon ignored her shock. She obviously battled her thoughts of what a man, who openly disliked her, was doing washing her feet. He wasn't sure himself. He was a man of impulse and right now he felt the overwhelming need to restore her to her state prior to captivity. Rather like an old piece of furniture, he told himself.

The strong hands rubbed her and though she was ticklish, a disturbing warmth and tingling sensation stirred in other areas of her body. From where she was sitting the smell of his hair lingered under her nose and Lea fought the desire to comb her fingers through it. Getting the thorns extracted was painful, but Damon worked quickly and efficiently. Then he soothed the stinging by dabbing them with the soaked cloth carefully.

Every hair on her rose straight up like she had touched an electric wire. Lea fought the impulse to slap his hand, as if he was touching her inappropriately. Very aware that her pulse and blush exposed her arousal, she attempted to undermine the nerves below her feet, but Damon's strokes almost caused her to whimper. Her senses heightened and she could even feel the brittle bubbles of soap as they glide down her ankles.

Damon did notice her reaction, continuing his work without hesitation. Truth be told, he had been doubtful whether he even affected her in that way or if the kiss in the tub had only been one-sided. There was satisfaction in making her tremble so obviously. It seemed an appropriate punishment for her insolence and intervention in his life. The fact that his own breath grew ragged too, he chose to disregard. The exposed fine skin under his fingertips was so vulnerable and sensitive. Even the warmth generated by simple proximity of skin against skin was electrifying. He let the cloth trace her sole, then slide up her ankle. There he hesitated before running it up further, behind her knee.

Lea flew up from the chair, almost knocking him backwards.

"Where are the others? Shouldn't they be here by now? I should really call them." Without waiting for an answer she wobbled by him spraying water all over the carpet. Damon disguised a victory smile. He knew he had made certain she wouldn't remember him solely for his cruelty. Briefly he considered pinning her to the wall and turning her mind to the memory of their first encounter, confusing her even more, but Jeremy, Bonnie and Caroline chose that exact moment to strut through the door.

"Where's Elena and Stefan?"

"Probably making a pit stop – nothing like danger to get the libido up and running," Jeremy grinned and Lea blushed.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," she rejected quickly. Jeremy did not see her perplexed behavior.

"Stefan texted back when I wrote we had found Lea that they would be following soon after."

"So this is Lea?" Caroline smiled and eyed the soapy feet and shabby clothing.

"Yeah hello," Lea replied, shaking hands and refusing to be embarrassed by her appearance.

"I am Caroline, vampire, in case you wonder," she said painting her words with eager hands.

"Good to meet you both."

"Did you run into any of Arawn's monkeys?" Damon broke in, already tired with the trivial politeness.

"No, but we heard them," Bonnie explained, walking to Lea and hugging her. Lea received the gesture with mutual fondness. "Are you okay?"

"I am now, but I won't be staying long." The witch looked at her sadly.

"Why not?"

"Arawn won't let me go. I have to move on before he decides to use you guys as leverage." Jeremy and Caroline's features remained blank, but Damon and Bonnie both reacted awkwardly.

"Will you at least wait for Elena and Stefan to come back and tell us what happened to you?" Lea smiled agreeably.

"Of course and thank you, all of you, for getting me off that Mount Doom." Caroline tsk'd, like it was no biggie and Jeremy smiled genuinely happy at her.

…

Jeremy and Bonnie whipped together, what Jeremy referred to as hunter's breakfast, which simply consisted of lots of bacon and eggs while they waited for Elena and Stefan to return. Lea threw herself at the meal like a starving animal. Damon watched her gluttony with interest as she swallowed her tenth piece of bacon.

"So what happened?" Bonnie asked, impatient to hear the story. After the warning Elijah had issued they had all expected dungeons, torture and chains. Instead Lea looked relatively unharmed.

"Shedu knocked me out last night after Sean left – that's my boss from the excavation –"she explained to Jeremy and Caroline. "I woke up in this palace, dressed in this…" she gestured the remainder of the dress and hastily added; "I had to rip off some of the skirt to escape," when they all looked at her as if she was Arawn's sex toy. "I was taken to Arawn in the gardens."

As her story progressed the audience displayed various emotions. Bonnie was proud of the way Lea had handled herself, while Caroline felt bad for her. Jeremy had a justifying that's-why-I-kill-these-sons-of-bitches stare and Damon pretended not to listen, even though he marched noisily around the room when she told them Arawn had bitten her.

"So you see why I have to leave? I don't want him to kill all of you because I am too attached to this place. If he knows I left, he will follow."

"You say Arawn believes you have powers to give birth to living dead babies?" Bonnie asked, her mind clearly working full speed. "I think I read about that somewhere, but I skipped it because it didn't mention the Green Blood. Just a sec." She scurried to her backpack and fished up a book. Lea smiled, realizing she was going to miss the witch. She draped her hands sadly on her hips in a finalizing manner and moved to pack up the few things she had brought.

Damon picked up his phone, wanting to do some damage and called Stefan, his eternal go-to-victim. A clicking sound indicated the call was answered.

"Hi bro, we're all waiting for you. Lea decided to flee you and Elena's charity, so you have been re-elevated to the position of my favorite nuisance," Damon said cheery.

"In that case I guess you won't care if I rid the world of your… nuisance?" Arawn's steel voice sounded, making Damon freeze instantly. He didn't have to ask who he was talking to.

"Do you have both my brother and Elena?" Damon's voice was arctic.

"Yes lovely human, the girl, I almost wish she was my future mate." There was a dry sarcasm in his tone.

"If you harm them,"

"Oh don't pretend to make threats. You're of NO consequence to me. Where did you take my bride?"

"She left on her own accord."

"I know. You and your friends are too inelegant to break through my defenses. I had forgotten how her kind is always capable of making a path where there is none. Never mind, convince Lea to meet me by the excavation in your little town at sunset three days from now. I don't have to tell you what it means that I have two of her friends." With a bib they got disconnected. Damon turned to look at Lea who had stopped when she heard his words, her face twisted knowingly.

"What does he want?"

* * *

**I know I am toying with the entire mythology of vampire diaries by interfering with the story of the Originals. I hope you can accept this creative whimsy. :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N - thank you so much to anyone who reviewed, made this story their favorite or decided to get alerts when I update. I am so inspired right now and hopefully I'll get a lot of writing done. Keep reading and let me know what you think. :)**

**A huge and mighty thanks to my two current betas: the oldie ****xxxMrsSalvatorexxx**** and my new GemStoneLovely. You guys make my stories so much better. **

* * *

_Elena is in danger. Elena has been captured. Elena could get killed._

He knew these thoughts well because they had occupied his head so many times in the past. It had become a reflex. It was like a storm blowing him forward towards her, whenever she got herself into impossibly dangerous situations. All he could do was blindly follow their call.

And there was Lea, the reason Elena and his brother had been dragged into this mess. She looked lost and Damon suppressed the need to shake her briskly. Jeremy was outraged and breathing like he was getting ready for a boxing match.

"We've got to drive back," he hissed, but Bonnie placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"What did he say?" the witch asked.

Damon didn't feel like hosting a strategy meeting, all talk and no action. He was conflicted about whether to drag Lea out, stick her in the trunk and drive back to Arawn or to play by Mr. Original's rules and come up with something a bit more sophisticated as they went along. Lea couldn't leave now in any case. He wouldn't allow it until Elena was home and safe. He quickly and impatiently recounted Arawn's brief instructions waiting for their chorus of comments and ideas, but Lea kept them silent by walking straight to the center of the group and speaking with a firmness that allowed no contradiction.

"I'll go meet Arawn as he wants me to."

"We just spent two days saving you, and you're just going to walk right back to him?" Bonnie protested.

"Arawn won't kill me. He wants me for a ritual that he says will give me power and freedom. He believes I will change my mind about being with him after it. If I have to choose between that fate and doing nothing when my friends are in danger of dying, I will always choose to help if I can."

"Great, Lea has made up her mind, end of discussion," Damon cut her off and Bonnie scowled at him.

"It's not that simple, Damon. Elena and Stefan wouldn't want us to hand Lea over after all they went through to save her. If this was about Elena you would stake Stefan before letting her surrender to Arawn."

"This _is_ about Elena!" he turned to Lea with a shrug. "We have known you for less than a week and I have been protecting Elena's hide for far longer than that. If you want to go through with the exchange, their freedom for yours, I won't be the one to stop you." She didn't look hurt; in fact she seemed like it was just the kind of statement she had expected from him, but Bonnie stared at him with a displeased grunt.

"You have a very narrow concept of loyalty," she sneered and the candles near them flickered.

"What did you expect?" Caroline asked. "It's Damon you are talking to."

He smiled that smile only he could accomplish, an equal share of rudeness and charm, but none of them was fooled by it.

"We'll think of something to help you avoid Arawn and still get Elena and Stefan back too," Bonnie said looking to Jeremy for support.

He immediately jumped to aid her. "Of course we will. Preferably I'll find the weapon Elijah claims doesn't exist, one that can kill him, so that none of you have to sacrifice yourself." Bonnie looked at him like he was a sweet edible marshmallow.

"If you find something that's great, but I am going either way." Lea looked down at herself to the ruined dress and bit her lip. "I'll go change." The others followed her with their eyes, all of them lost in thought.

"Here we go again."Caroline shook her hands full of nervous energy.

The others continued to debate the best course of action. Jeremy decided to unpack his car, dragging bag upon bag into the dining room, unloading them on the table.

"What's that?" Caroline inquired, her curious fingers unzipping the nearest black sportsbag. Her features grew grave when she saw the content. "That's a lot of weapons." Jeremy smiled his shy humble smile and Damon forgot to maintain his cool facade, his face lighting up like a christmas tree.

"Oh you know how to treat a vampire," the Salvatore winked flirtatiously and started digging through the selection. "You've got something in here to kill an Original Original?"

Bonnie wore a sceptical frown, pulling out brass knuckles and sickles.

"It's worth a try. If the ordinary methods fail there's always a few more modern choices that I bet Arawn has never dealt with before. It's become a hobby to test some alternatives to staking. Who's to say that Arawn can handle a hand-granate or a modified machine gun?"

"We don't have a machine gun," Bonnie pointed out. She wasn't at all comfortable with the amount of weaponry in the house. With a big grin Jeremy revealed that exact weapon, causing her to wince.

"I was a decent shot back in the day" Damon declared, studying the gun with boyish cheer and picturing himself blasting down Arawn's minions to get to Elena. "Although it takes a bit of the fun out of the hunt when you can just hit them from afar."

"It doesn't have to be fun, it just has to work. And we better come up with some sort of plan."

"I say we go in guns blazing," Caroline smiled and picked up a rifle that appealed to her.

"No, we have to be smart about this," Jeremy replied. "Caroline and I will be the jokers of this, since neither Arawn or that Shedu guy know about us. The three days give us time to set up guns in the best places along the town square, rooftops preferably. Damon will go with Lea and we will be the calvary."

"It's a start," Bonnie admitted. "If we can create a distraction, Damon can free Elena and Stefan."

"That will only work if he actually brings them with him," Damon argued. No one seemed to notice his logic, a thing that tended to happen when he had been too smart-mouthed during the conversation.

"Poor Elena," Bonnie sighed.

Lea came down the stairs drying her hair with a towel. The jeans and white tank top made her look normal again and almost relaxed until she noticed the pile of weapons. "This is too much," she said and turned on her heel, running out into the garden.

"I'll talk to her," Bonnie smiled, but Damon hurried by her before she got up from her chair.

...

The cell was dark with no windows except for a hole in the wall the size of a brick. Elena was cold, nauseous and miserable. They had stripped her of all belongings, shoes, trousers, everything but her panties. Instead they had provided her with a sack-like dress that inevitably reminded her of the pillowcase worn by Dobby the house elf in Harry Potter. It smelled horribly of stranger's sweat and other bodily fluids.

Stefan had been taken somewhere else when they were overpowered. They had barely sent the reply to Jeremy before thirty or so vampires came running towards them. Impossible odds. She now sympathized greatly with bunnies all over the world, facing hungry packs of predators.

Elena sat down in the corner and draped her slender arms around her. They always found themselves in precarious situations and she had seen worse, or at least equally bad. It was a small comfort that Lea was safe and she hoped it would stay that way.

It was easy to lose track of time because only the wandering stripe of light from the opening in the wall gave her a sense of the hours that passed.

Somewhere above in a much fancier room Stefan stood proud, hands tied behind his back and his eyes firmly locked on a neutral spot above Arawn's head. As always he maintained a severe expression; his way of keeping his emotions under control. The rage of the Ripper wasn't far away when he was furious like this and it was a struggle to keep. He didn't know if Elena was safe, and he prefered to keep it cool untill he knew more. Because of this he wasn't about to unlease his dark side, not even if it meant he could do some serious damage to the vampires surrounding him. Arawn's powerful charisma was undeniable and Stefan thought that Shedu's description of Klaus as a brat seemed appropriate all things considered. Still, in his one and a half century long existence he had learned that size and fear factor did not always equal strength.

The prime Original was watching him, weighing the sight of him like they did the slaves back when Stefan was still human. Arawn was wearing a wine red shirt and Stefan almost smiled menacingly at the thought of how blood stains would appear invisible against such a color.

"Stefan I am not your enemy," Arawn began with a volume like he was addressing a conquered army. "You are like me. We are of the same race." Stefan remained neutral. "And what a glorious race we are." He raised his arms to the dozen vampires surrounding them. They were all dressed very sparsely; the men only in loincloths and the women with an additional strap of leather tightly wrapped around their breasts. They looked like hunters from ancient times, before men knew any other way of life. Arawn had taken him through the lavish halls and into a completely spartanic room. It was round and the floor had been covered in sand like an arena. Along the walls stood the only pieces of furniture; long shelves full of weapons, mostly spears and bows. Light came in through the UV-resistant glass in the dome of the ceiling, illuminating the room in a dramatic theatrical fashion.

"I won't kill you if you indulge me with a display of your skills," Arawn announced, waiting for a reaction.

"I don't care about my own life," Stefan said blankly. " But promise me you won't let any harm come to Elena and I will... indulge you."

Arawn scratched his stubbled chin, not used to getting demands from his prisoners. "You aren't in a position to bargain."

"Apparently I am, because you want something from me," Stefan said, perfectly calm on the outside.

"I could use a sharp young man like yourself. That much is true. Although vampires are gifted with strength and speed, sadly intelligence is not a natural addition to the package. You can keep your pet girl, IF your performance pleases me." Stefan accepted the deal with a curt nod. "Good, your task is simple: survive. Diana?" he swept his hand towards Stefan and a fierce woman stepped forward. She quickly went to fetch a long slim spear and positioned herself across from Stefan, ready to strike. The vervain rope restraining his hands were cut. Stefan refused to move.

"You may begin," Arawn spoke solemnly.

Diana made a sudden move aiming directly for Stefan's heart. But he was no newborn. He stepped aside, grabbed the shaft before it hit him, spun around to place a knee under it and broke the spear with a hard crack. At the same time he aimed a stiff hand at her throat to stop her charge and pushed the broken end into Diana before she ever even defended herself. The grey corpse fell heavily on the sand and Stefan resumed his proud stand, hands behind his back and his feet slightly apart, challenging them to attempt another reckless attack on him. Arawn applauded the efficiency and didn't even award his fallen ally a single look.

"Too easy I see."

Mara sat behind her master in her usual hunched pose, clawing exhilarated in the sand.

Two other males presented themselves, this time cautious of their opponent's reflexes. One of them drew a knife whilst the other licked his teeth demonstratively and then they launched themselves at him. Stefan avoided them both by ducking and simultaneously kicking the one with the knife in the groin. The unarmed vampire jumped him with fangs first like a snake and knocked Stefan on his back. They wrestled briefly, every muscle in their bodies tightened and Stefan managed to break the male's arm with a forceful twist and used the moment of recovery to gain the upper hand and got back on his feet. A precise knock with Stefan's elbow to the head rendered the minion unconscious. When he turned the other vampire had stopped whining over his sore balls and jumped Stefan from behind. He fell to his knees but didn't hesitate to grab the thin vervain rope on the floor. Even though it burned his hands Stefan maneuvered up and around the vampire who was still standing and strung it around his neck. Using every ounce of strength in his arms Stefan tightened the rope and it seethed through the neck like steel wire through butter. The head rolled over the sand followed by the rest of the body. A red snake of blood slithered through the sand, growing new heads like a river.

"Mara," Arawn called and she crawled forward.

Mara's eyes were burning yellow, giving her a frightening look even though her shivering, emaciated limbs gave the impression of an old woman on the brink of death. Stefan squinted, remembering how she had charged Elena and not minding the chance to offer some payback. He didn't wait for her to make the first move, but sprinted towards her with all the frustration of a man with his girl held hostage. The female welcomed his attack with open arms and they tumbled through the sand while she ripped his skin open and he broke her ribs because of the forceful clash. She screamed a high deafening scream, not because of the pain, but to throw him off his game, and his super hearing made it almost unbearable. When he ended his harsh blows against her body, instinctively covering his ears, she smiled cruelly and sank her teeth into his chest. He roared and knocked her on the side of the head, forcing her to relinquish her bite. Her nails were everywhere on him, stabbing, scratching and tearing him open. Despite her scrawny build Mara was strong as hell. She had no technique whatsoever. She simply relied on her terrifying madness and strength to tear him to pieces. Mara was several centuries older than him and that alone should have meant she would have struck him down with ease if Stefan hadn't been an decent fighter, something he had learned in the years around the World War II.

In the heat of the struggle Stefan caught a glimpse of Arawn. There was a hint of acknowledgement in the grey eyes.

They were crashing against each other their muscles straining to stand the pressure. With her left hand Mara tossed a fist of sand into his eyes as he kicked her hard in the stomach so she flew backwards into the shelves filled with weapons. Iron spears rambled down over her head. In the blink of an eye Stefan ran to her, grabbing three spears and stabbing her through the wrist, pelvis and collarbone nailing her to the floor.

"Good, good," Arawn applauded him. "Now finish her."

Stefan was standing over her, another spear in his hand, looking down at the pitiful creature below him. The yellow gleam in Mara's eyes was reduced to something immensely sad. It was the look of someone so consumed by bloodlust and insanity they didn't remember any other life, only fear and hunger. Stefan knew those feelings. He battled them every day. With a sigh he stepped back, causing Mara to goggle in surprise. It was obvious she had not expected mercy.

"You're such a coward," Stefan shouted aiming his angry black eyes at Arawn. The outburst only seemed to tire the Original. "It's easy to claim to be the ultimate vampire when you let minions do your fighting."

"Oh Stefan, you don't want to antagonize me," the taller vampire said, addressing him like he was a naughty toddler. "I simply wished to test you against someone at your own level. If you had to fight me you would be dead by now."

"Instead you sacrifice your servants just to find out how strong I am," Stefan nodded rolling his eyes. He had very little respect for a vampire who surrendered to his evil nature but refused to get his own hands bloody.

One of the remaining men stepped forward with a stern expression on his face, painted with odd symbols in blood. "It is an honor to die in pursuit of a worthy kill," the man chanted mechanically and Stefan looked at him with disbelief. "Master Arawn is the Greatest Hunter of them all."

"He sure isn't eager to prove it," Stefan snorted and a small twitch in the corner of Arawns mouth showed him the Prime was resisting a smile. Then, slowly, the Greatest Hunter started unbuttoning his shirt with ritualistic precision, his minions bowing in awe and stepping backwards.

"I rarely degrade myself for a demonstration to a child like you, Mr. Salvatore, but this whole affair with Lea, that little escape artist, and your admittedly above average fighting skills has me in a good mood. If this is what it takes to convince you that resistance is futile..." he dropped the shirt on the floor and walked closer, letting the threat linger. Preparing himself, Stefan drilled his heels into the floor and bent his knees. Stefan knew that Arawn would be strong, but nothing could have prepared him for the speed or the force Arawn suddenly aimed at him. The Original hit him like a train, flinging him into the wall. Several bones in his body broke and Stefan gritted his teeth painfully. Before he could even lift his head Arawn was by his side taking hold of his shirt and tossing him back into the centre of the room. It felt like being squashed under a giant and Stefan could do nothing but lie still and try to stay concious. "I told you, that I was out of your league." The tall Original brushed his black hair backwards and returned casually to his shirt. Then he crouched beside Stefan and made a tsking noise. "Why haven't you turned the little human, you seem so attached to?" The smooth voice seemed to leak into Stefan's wounds and twist the dagger.

"She's.. not designed to become a vampire. I wouldn't wish my affliction on anyone," Stefan gasped.

"Affliction? Don't you feel strong? How many times have you and your brother escaped death? Our species is beautifully fit for survival, more so than the humans. If it weren't for our weakness, the sun, we would rule the earth." Stefan wanted to spit at that comment. "Sadly we have another, more damaging weakness, disloyalty. Vampires tend to only rely on themselves. I want to change that. I want to give them something to aspire to."

"You mean you want them to aspire to you."

"Obviously."

"Because you are the first Original?"

"No. Because I am exceptional. Because I am the only breathing vampire. I will give vampires a common goal."

"What goal?"

"I will cover the lands in darkness, day will become night and I will ascend."

"How come you didn't do this during those - how many years is it you have been around?" Stefan asked, unable to hide his hatred.

"11.000 years, and since you ask, I met someone quite recently who changed my perspective on things. She made me realise what I am."

"What are you then?"

"I am immortal, powerful, divine. The next tier on the latter of evolution."

"Why are you doing this?" Stefan shook his head, not wanting to hear more from this freak. Arawn smiled solemnly.

"Because it is the wish of my mother. It is why I was born. Will you be by my side when I release Lea and my army on humanity?"

"I think you already know my answer to that," Stefan spat having finally found the strength to lean on his elbow.

"I was hoping you would change your mind."

"I won't."

"Then all I can really use you for, is information. Tell me all about Lea."

"No."

Arawn crossed his arms, looking like an executioner. "I was rather hoping you would refuse, actually." The Original walked to the wall and spent far longer than necessary to pick a weapon. "Let's see how you respond to real pain."

...

Damon smiled playfully. She was sitting on the hill under a willow tree with her chin resting on her knees. There were marks on the ground where she had taken her frustration out on the grass and she was biting her lip so had it lost all color. She didn't look like she was about to run away, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Not thinking about bolting?"

"No chance."

"Then why the dramatic exit?"

"I am just finding the whole thing surreal," she sighed. "I am angry and vengeful because Arawn has decided that my freedom is worth the lives of two innocents."

"More like one and a half. Since Stefan is a vampire you can't really classify him as innocent."

"You know what I mean. They did nothing to deserve this and he is punishing them to get some supposedly magical power in me. A power that I can't feel, at all," she spat and kicked a stone far off. "And you don't have to check up on me. I won't run away. Stefan and Elena will be returned to you, whether I have something to offer Arawn or not."

The statement seemed to calm him. "You don't believe Arawn's mystery diagnosis?" Damon asked and sat down beside her.

"I don't know. It seems so redundant to kidnap someone to get to me. I can't really believe all this is happening." She held her head in her hands, as if to shield her mind from the truth. "I have always only been responsible for myself, acting as I pleased because there were no consequences. Now I have caused this, for something in my blood." Her anger was evident and Damon imagined her with the heigthened senses of a vampire. She could be a very dark avenger. He tipped his head watching her. Ever since the phonecall he had mostly thought of saving Elena, and as Lea was so willlingl to sacrafice herself he wouldn't try to talk her out of it. But in her emotion she reminded him of someone. Someone who had been lonely all through life and facing a part of herself that she did not know how to handle.

"I for my part have no doubt that you are special," he said calmly with his blue eyes aimed casually at the sky, like at was a very Damon-ish thing to say. Lea knew that it wasn't.

"Why? Because I am unaffected by your charms?"

He chuckled, then shook his head. "No." Her eyes were unusually bleak and he got an idea. "Listen to this." Damon pointed to his chest, making her wrinkle her nose questioningly. "I won't bite you."

She leaned in and placed her ear against his t-shirt. "Nothing. What am I supposed to hear?"

"Nothing but the lacking heartbeat of a dead man. Keep listening."

She couldn't quite see the purpose of the exercise. He was mean enough to knock her unconscious and keep her that way until he could hand her over to Arawn. Damon leaned against her neck and sniffed her special scent deep into his lungs. Lea was distracted by him, but suddenly she heard a vague thumping, coming from inside his chest. Her mouth formed a soundless O as another thump confirmed the first one. When she looked up at his face he had his eyes closed and a furrowed brow, giving him an almost painful expression. He looked pretty uncomfortable.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"How can it be beating?" She leaned back listening to the slow drum with appreciation.

"Because of you. I'm not sure how it works, but when I get close to you it starts. When I drank your blood... It was like being brought back to life."

"And you hated it, didn't you?" she giggled.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you love being a vampire, killing and turning off your emotions."

"Right," he said tersely. "I just wanted to show you that you can't deny your power."

"I still can't believe it. You said drinking my blood caused your trip that night we first met Shedu?" He nodded. "Prove it." She stuck her wrist up to his lips, her head still resting on his chest. Damon wondered if it was a bad idea, because she was shaking. "Just do it," Lea pressed. "I need to hear it."

Damon sighed and then revealed his fangs. He should not bite her, but he was selfish, he wanted to taste her blood again. If for no other reason than to see if it was anywhere nearly as mindblowing as the first time. He drank.

Damon could not register if Lea was listening because the minute her blood touched his tongue he was lost, overthrown, crashed under the sensation. Lea was enticed by how it affected him. She couldn't just hear the heart hammering like a smith on his anvil, but also the rush inside him, like water breaking through a dam.

"Is my blood doing that?" she asked.

"Mhm."

"That's incredible. I wonder what else I can do."

"You... will... know soon enough," he breathed against her skin and they sat silently for a while. He fought the urge to keep sucking until his heart would sing forever, but he couldn't kill her for his own pleasure. Elena needed her. He let go.

Lea finally sat up straight with a satisfied, resolved smile. It took Damon longer before the buzzing in his head seized and the world returned to its normal dull colors. Lea hadn't said anything, occupied as she was with her own thoughts.

"So what are you going to do now?" he croaked before clearing his throat. The fearless determination he had seen painted on her face so many times was back. It suited her well.

"I am going to fight back." He bit his lip, conflicted, hoping she wouldn't do anything to compromise Stefan and Elena's release. "Don't worry. You'll get her back." Her voice was meek and Damon was startled that she was able to read his mind, so few could. "I'm almost impressed that she can get under the skin of both of you like that. Although it's also sad. What is it about her?" She sounded genuinely interested.

"She's... Elena," he replied, knowing that it was an inadequate response. There was a rare glint of devotion in his eyes and it made Lea gasp quietly. Much to her surprise she felt a longing for someone to direct a similar passion at her.

"Trust me, I will make sure she comes back to you." He looked like he wanted to believe her, but years and years of treating everyone like suspects weighed heavily on him. "We can do a pinky swear if that would make you feel better?" she winked at him, imitating his rude irony and making him smile.

"Pinky swearing is a sacred oath. Are you certain you can commit?" he teased back.

"Positive."

...

"Since we don't have an exact plan we'll prepare for anything." Jeremy walked back and forth with the authority of a military general. The others had been lined up in the garden and were listening with various degrees of interest. Damon was leaning heavily on a moss covered angel statue enjoying the Jer jer entertainment, considering distracting them by comparing the Gilbert boy to a GI Joe. Lea was listening with the attention of child being told a dangerous fairytale and Damon studied her with his head askew.

"We will go through a series of exercises to prepare for close encounters with these vampires. Meanwhile I'll go through every weapon known to man and monster. Bonnie I need you to check your books to find anything that could be related to the kind of ritual Arawn is planning and if anything can be done to stop it." The list of orders continued and not all of them were equally excited about the training program. Caroline figured she already knew a few tricks being a vampire herself and Bonnie preferred her magic over a fist fight.

Jeremy showed them a variation of attacks and defence techniques and ignored Damon's comment about the age and strength of Arawn and his posse. It was clear that Jeremy had used the moves often and Bonnie was flustered because of his efficiency.

Lea felt very human as she landed hard on her back for the one hundred and eleventh time.

"Go easy on her," Bonnie corrected Caroline when she saw Lea go red with irritation. The blond vampire shrugged indifferent.

"Arawn won't go easy on her," she objected and Jeremy agreed:

"She has got to get a real idea of what she's going up against." When Bonnie scowled at him he added: "but it would be better if you didn't dismember her completely."

Damon snorted.

They had been training all afternoon, Bonnie sparring with Jeremy and Caroline with Lea. The garden was transformed into a training ground littered with weapons and water bottles and Damon had refused to participate in the: "silliness. We never did anything like this when Klaus was posing threats, why begin now?"

"I seem to recall you trained Elena a bit back then," Bonnie said, defending Jeremy's initiative. "And since we don't know what to prepare for we might as well prepare for anything."

"It'll come in handy when I piss him off," Lea mumbled wryly from her spot in the grass.

"You're going about it the wrong way then," Damon shrugged.

"By all means, share you're infinite wisdom," Lea grimaced holding her buttocks, "because I think my ass is transitioning to a smurf. You're unbelievably strong Caroline."

"And you're really stubborn," Caroline grinned.

"Blondie needs some real competition," Damon dismissed.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Lea watched in awe as the two vampires attacked each other. It was a blur of fists and fangs, intertwining like thorn bushes. In a matter of seconds Damon had Caroline pinned in an awkward position and Lea felt weak for her repeated defeat.

"I'm older than you and that means I'm stronger." Caroline looked very displeased, but accepted his victory. "You need to use the element of surprise if you want to beat someone older, speed and precision."

"And what about a human?" Lea asked. "What can a human do?"

"You can use our strength against us." In slow motion he showed her how to grab his arm and bow down so he would get pulled across her back and down on the ground instead of knocking her over. She devoured the information, but the first time they attempted it she ended up flying six feet backwards and ripping her tank top. Bonnie gasped nervously and felt like setting Damon on fire.

"Are you alright?" Lea ignored his helping hand and got up on her own with an impressed whistle. Her braided hair was getting messy and her clothes became smeared with grass and dirt.

"Again!"

The other's decided to return to their own training when Lea fell for the fifth time. She had no intention of giving up until she had managed to pull Damon down and he kept coming at her. When the shadows grew long Lea was looking pretty bashed and in spite of her undiminishing determination, Damon decided to stop the game. He was impressed by her fighting spirit. Elena always jumped straight to the sacrifice, without wanting to involve anyone else. Lea was not going down without a fight.

"We should go get something to eat." The others quickly agreed and started heading for the house, but Lea stood her ground.

"One more time," she commanded.

"You've been saying that for an hour now," Caroline complained. "Just give up already."

"It's just a matter of getting the technique right. Again, Damon!"

He sighed and then he charged at her, but instead of knocking her over he lifted her over his shoulder and ran for the kitchen with Lea shouting objections. Only when he reminded her that there was another day tomorrow to train she surrendered and allowed him to carry her with her sore ass being paraded.

"When I learn that move you're a dead vampire," she hissed. Damon just patted her butt making her wince.

"I would be nicer to me, if I were you," he bit back, spanking her again, before letting her down. As a result she refused to speak to him all through dinner, only answering Caroline, Bonnie and Jeremy.

By nightfall they were all completely drained of energy. It wasn't just that they had been training all day, but the stress of thinking about the unknown fate of Elena and Stefan wore them out. None of them could escape the haunting concern that Arawn was only leading them on, and that their friends were already cold and buried. Bonnie suggested they all spend the night at the boardinghouse and none of them contradicted her. It was comforting sitting close together in front of the fireplace as the darkness fell over Mystic Falls. The girls had decided to drop the weapons and how to kill conversation, moving on to more manageable subjects like the last time there was a decent party in town. As soon as Elena was back, Caroline swore she would find some festive event where they could let loose. When the boys left the room Bonnie stared after Jeremy and Caroline and Lea giggled.

"What?" the witch asked.

"You still like him," Caroline winked and Bonnie blushed.

"No.."

"You so do," Lea grinned, enjoying the rare girlish moment.

"Will you please give it up?"

"He is pretty cute," Caroline teased. "Those big brown eyes and that hoarse voice, sexy."

The witch ignored them and excused herself.

Lea went to bed with enough bruises to last her a lifetime. The idea that Elena could be in a worse condition made her want to run to her bike and just drive back to Arawn. She knew it would be smarter to just wait and follow through with whatever crude plan they could cook up. It was just terrible not knowing. When she snuggled into her bed she was so tired she fell asleep instantly.

...

The room was shrouded in complete darkness. He liked it this way. When the light was gone there was no distractions, he could see everything. _How dark the world of men must seem_, he thought. Arawn had never been mortal, never felt the need to be so either. Why should he want to be anything less than the miracle he was; the exception to dominate those of plain and flawed nature. He slowly undressed, as always more comfortable in nothing but his own skin. The cold floor felt warm against his icy feet and he wallowed in the sensation of the night. By his feet lay a young handsome man with white lips all drained of blood. The taste had been decent but nothing like Lea's blood. He had forgotten how explosive the flavor of her kind could be. It didn't worry him that she needed a bit of persuasion to be with him. The young Stefan had provided him with more entertainment than he had had in ages. It was his own fault really. Since Frigg he had isolated himself from the world that had become more and more infested with humans, so sick of interacting with those lowlife creatures, he had gone against his nature and built himself fortresses of stone to hide in. _Humans_. They were so petty, so concerned with small details, utterly incapable of seeing beyond themselves, thinking that they are so important to the fate of the world. _Ants_. For thousands of years he had mingled with them, young and stupid as he was, not really sure how to navigate a world of decay and change. Now he had finally found a purpose. Lea.

He hadn't expected a quick surrender, but now he had gotten her to face the ritual and soon she would belong to him. He would erase her past, and she would give him purpose, give him power. Arawn would no longer be a single sun, burning too brightly for humans to see. He and his kind would be like the stars in the heavens and the humans would look upon them and scream in awe and horror. Humans would finally know their own weakness and he would find his place, his reason to be. An unwelcome memory brushed his mind. A memory of another reason to be, that had perished years ago.

_She was so beautiful lying on her knees, dirt dusted on her clothes and face in the twilight. He held yet another gift in his hands, a pouch of exotic seeds, she could plant and nourish. He had planned on leaving them on her pillow before she woke in the early morning, but she was already up. Not knowing what to do he just stood there watching. Before he could speed away, she looked up seeing him for the first time. By the light in her eyes, he knew that she knew who he was. All the letters of love and revelations were engraved in her features and she got up slowly, brushing her hands with confidence and studying her admirer. He realized she had aged ever so slightly since he first laid eyes on her. Time was not a concept he understood and without knowing it he had spent every day of the last decade writing her poetry and bringing her tokens of love and now she finally saw his face. Although she had never met him, she knew his heart, because he had given it to her, piece by piece, day by day._

Arawn could not remember the words they exchanged or how long the happiness lasted. He did remember that since she came into his life every moon, every sunrise had new meaning, they counted for something. It was not until later he discovered what she was and what she could have provided him with. The tall vampire shook his shoulders and stretched his naked body. It wasn't like him to be reminiscing, still these were the days for extraordinary things. He smiled a crooked smile as he started his nightly ritual of testing his own invincibility with fire and steel.

...

The two days passed with more training, planning and reading. Lea persisted in continuing the humiliation, wanting so bad to learn the trick Damon was showing her. They spend the day mostly in silence. Jeremy was making plans B, C and D with Bonnie and had drawn a map of the town square, trying to calculate the ideal positions for hiding and shooting. Lea appreciated his no-bullshit approach to the task at hand and would sit down listening to his ideas when she needed to escape and take a break from the ass-falling. Caroline's means of dealing with her worry was much like Jeremy's: organize and accessorize - only Jeremy's accessories consisted of throwing knives and toxic darts.

Bonnie couldn't help but notice how much Elena's little brother had matured. They had broken up because of all the stuff that happened when he became a hunter and she had been devastated. Seeing him again, lying on the grass cleaning his crossbow, brought back old feelings. How could it not, when he could still look at her like they were making love right there in front of the others? They hadn't really had a chance to talk privately and she figured it might be for the best. At least that way they wouldn't get tempted. Afterall, he had hurt her.

The sun was shining like an inappropriate smile. The beautiful sunny weather didn't match their moods. It felt like a crime to be enjoying it, given the situation and even Damon had turned down his charm, looking a lot like his younger brother with furrows on his brow. It was like waiting for a thunderstorm, that couldn't be avoided, only prepared for in the hopes that lightning wouldn't strike. Lea's decision to stay was both a relief and concern. It meant that Elena and Stefan had a chance to go free, but since they had no plan to protect Lea the coming meeting stressed them all.

Bonnie had been pouring over the books again and she was getting pretty tired of browsing through the crisp pages. In her lunch break Lea walked over to the witch looking very uncomfortable.

"I need to ask you something."

"What can I do for you, Lea?"

"I am thinking that since I can get pregnant with dead person, regular birth control won't do me much good with Arawn. Is there a magical way to de-fertalize me?" Bonnie lifted an eyebrow and then nodded slowly.

"There is a way, but.."

"But what?"

"In order for this spell to be cast correctly I need to know if you're a virgin?" Bonnie asked the question avoiding Lea's eyes.

"Of course she's not a virgin," Damon exclaimed casually, causing them both to turn and look at him. He quickly realised what they thought he was insinuating and shrugged amused. "What? It's not like I stole the cookie from her cookie jar."

"Precisely. I have never shared my.. cookie with you, so why do you presume to know?"

"Come on Lea, you don't exactly have the attitude of an innocent maiden. You're.. well sexy." He signaled her curves with a grin that could be interpreted as both sarcastic and sincere. Then he rolled his eyes like he was stating the obvious and left them exactly where he wanted them, completely confused.

"I am not sure if you are offending me or flattering me," she huffed with rosy cheeks and Bonnie made an ill-fated attempt to conceal her surprise.

"Little bit of both," he answered with a puzzling expression and she decided to ignore him.

"No, I am not a virgin."

"Fine." Bonnie took a glass of water in front of her. "Ut nullum semen dirimere in hac terra." The words sounded foreign on Bonnie's lips as she chanted them and her skinny fingers made little symbols over the glass. All the others felt was a slight stir in the wind before the witch smiled conclusively and handed the glass to Lea. "It will last about three moons. Then I have to give you another dose. Unfortunately I can't think of a more permenent solution." Lea emptied the glass in one go and grimaced over the taste.

"Lovely," she said with tears in her eyes and a strained voice.

"Oh, yeah it doesn't taste so good either."

"So I've noticed. I thought magic would taste better."

"Did you find anything about the ritual?" Jeremy asked. Currently he was devoted to making little piles of weapons based on each of their needs and capabilities.

"It's kind of hard when I don't know what I am looking for. If Arawn had at least told us what you are I would have a clue were to start."

"We're still walking into that meeting blindfolded then?" Damon asked.

"Not quite. I'm guessing Arawn needs this ritual for a reason. If he wants to give you powers, it's because your own powers haven't been triggered yet."

"Triggered?"

"Yes, like witches usually develop their power when they become teenagers. Maybe your race has to reach a certain point in life before being able to use your powers. It's likely that without your powers you can't get pregnant with his children, so he's helping you get them faster."

"How will he do that?"

Bonnie hesitated. "Whatever it is, it can't be good. This is strong elemental magic and will need some serious mojo."

"There is something you're not telling me," Lea frowned.

"The power to meddle with life and death is not something to take lightly. It requires life to create life. My best guess is that we are looking at another sacrifice situation."

"So what you're saying is that Elena and Stefan probably won't go free at all. That Arawn will kill them anyway."

"I don't know that for sure, but it's definitely a possibility."

Damon scared them all by knocking his fist, hard into the wall.

"Arawn needs me. I will tell him he won't ever get me if he hurts them."

"If the guy is even half the vampire I am he won't care," Damon sneered and placed his hands on his head in frustation.

"You need to have a little faith in me," Lea scolded him.

"How can I, when you can't even perform a simple defense exercise?" he asked.

Lea responded by dragging him out and waving her hands as a challenge. Damon rolled his eyes but decided that knocking her on her back again might shut her up. Storming at her in full speed he expected her to fly backwards as they clashed together. However, with a swift move of her body he found himself looking up at the sky, lying on his back on the ground. There was pride in her features but she settled for a dignified shrug when he noticed she was holding her fist over his heart. If there had been a stake in her hand she could have ended him.

"You did it!" Caroline shrieked celebratory and jumped Lea with an energized hug.

Damon sat up and watched the girls' victory dance with a surprised smirk. By this time tomorrow she would be heading for the excavation for a ritual she had no idea what would do to her. A random self defense move wasn't going to help her much, but he had to admit she was brave. Maybe she would have the balls to save the day. If not, he wouldn't hesitate to save Elena and his brother. Lea was after all nothing but a nuisance. She was no Elena. She was just blond hair, fierce eyes and pacemaker blood. A sexy awful nuisance...

* * *

**A/N I know that you are waiting a long time between chapters, but I have school even though I wish I could dedicate more time to Fanfic. You don't have to wait long for the next chapter, because it's already written and in the process of being betaed.**


	13. Chapter 13

The green parrot costume dress had magically appeared on the doorstep of the boarding house the night before the ritual. It had been packed into an elegant pink box, decorated with ribbons. Bonnie had found it in the morning and taken it into the kitchen. Lea turned the same shade of green as the gown when she saw it and it took several minutes before she was able to explain. Now she had decided to put it on anyway to play along and was bitter when she had to admit it fit her very well. Nothing had been done about the sleeves she tore off and she turned to look at the back.

"It's weird," Bonnie mumbled and Caroline's hands were placed on her mouth as if she was preventing herself from speaking her mind. "It sort of suits you, but it's not pretty. Why would he want you to wear something like that? I looks like a bird of some sort."

"I know," Lea sighed. "It's awful. I'd say he just has an old fashion taste, but I don't think this has ever been modern."

"Are you ready for tonight?" Caroline asked, still trying to diplomatically avoiding talking about the dress.

"As ready as I can get. Some small part of me is curious actually, but mainly I am just afraid of what could happen to all of you. I have to be strong if I am going to defy Arawn. Plan A is to get him to release them voluntarily."

"Plan B: Havoc and gunfire to distract him from their escape," Caroline chanted and started brushing Lea's hair. They still hadn't decided on whether Lea should try to run before the ritual could be completed or if she should see it through.

"Did you ever find out more about the skeleton, while I was gone?"

"I had a vision of her when she was alive."

Lea spun around to face the witch.

"That is so cool... just imagine what the archaeologists could learn with a witch on their side." Her eyes turned dreamy as she imagined unraveling the mysteries of many great historical questions,"What did you see?"

"She had red hair, looked young and she filled the bottle with her blood to give to the mother of the Originals."

"No way!"

"Stand still," Caroline scolded. "If this is your last night, and you're wearing that dress, don't you at least want your hair to be pretty?"

"Always look on the bright side of life," Lea quoted, amused and stood still to let Caroline work her magic. "No matter what happens tonight, I am so glad I got to meet you two, and Jeremy. Heck, I am even glad I met Damon."

"He's a dick, but he is hard to forget once you've met him," Bonnie stated coldly.

"Oh I know, Judgy," his soft voice spoke and they all jumped. "I'm unforgettable. Congratulations, you have finally reached the stage of acceptance. Fact is that I give you the urge to merge." He made a couple of inappropriate hip thrusts in her direction.

"Oh please," Bonnie sighed disdainfully.

"Ladies," he bowed to Lea and Caroline. "I came to deliver orders from General Jeremy; we all meet downstairs in an hour." He moved to walk back out, but stopped in his tracks. "Is that what you're wearing? You look like a pine tree."

"It was a request," she replied pointedly. "If you have nothing nice to say, then keep quiet."

Damon watched her as she sat down in the ruffled horror gown with as much dignity as possible.

"You don't look scared," he said. "You rarely do. It's good." Then he left.

"Is it just me does he seem even more unbalanced than usually?" Caroline asked.

"It's because of Elena," Bonnie said, not very interested. Lea returned to sending evil eyes at the mirror. Ridiculously enough she wasn't that worried about what could happen to herself, but she was sort of praying that if she should go into the eternal night, someone would have the decency to remove this horror so she could die with dignity.

An hour later Jeremy, Bonnie and Caroline bit her goodbye and good luck as they took off to set up the arsenal near the town square. Lea was left alone with Damon who had been monitoring her, obviously doubting her desire to keep her promise. She decided to clear her mind, by making herself a cup of coffee and spending the last hour before sunset on a bench facing the last of the light. Scenarios had been playing in the back of her head all day and the stake strapped to her thigh was scratching her skin. Desperate tp clear her mind she tried breathing in and out, letting go of all distractions. It seemed to work for a few minutes until the boardinghouse's primary distracter came to sit by her on the bench.

It had been decided that Lea wouldn't be going alone. Damon insisted on being with her on the grounds that if she got herself killed he would never get Elena back. Bonnie had offered to accompany her instead, not trusting Damon when Elena's life was on the line. In the end Damon got his wish, of course, and Bonnie had squeezed Lea's hands an extra time and whispered the terrible things she would do to Damon if he tried something stupid.

She fiddled with the green parrot dress which was strangely comfortable and considered whether ripping off the ruffles would make it bearable to look at. Right now she figured she resembled a nudist hiding in some puffy shrubbery. Damon was leaned back in an extremely relaxed pose, sipping some B-minus.

"When Elena woke up after the burglar incident, she mentioned something about rescue missions being pretty standard stuff for you guys," Lea spoke breaking the silence.

"They are. Rituals are bit rarer though."

"But you have all survived them this far?"

"What you see are the survivors. We have lost a lot of people. Elena's aunt for example."

"Oh," she said growing quiet for a time. "I am glad I'm not going alone then." He looked at her silently. "In case Arawn has a weak spot for sensational sarcasm," she winked at him.

"Originals have no sense of humor," he dismised it, but not without a note of flattery in his voice.

"I think Stefan and Elena will be happy to see you."

"Not likely," Damon snickered, "They prefer to save each other."

"They love you Damon," she answered earnestly, not buying into his irony. Damon watched her as she drank the coffee. How come her voice made him believe her?

"If Elena wasn't involved I probably would have just kidnapped you myself," Damon teased and licked his lips. Lea laughed.

"And I would probably only kick and protest for a short while."

"Are you admitting you're enjoying my company Miss Fayal?"

"I'm inclined not to stake you anymore, Mr. Salavatore," she said with a snobbish snort, followed by another little laugh. "Oh dear!"

"What?"

"I think we're growing friendly," she said, acting appalled and he mirrored her expression.

"God no. We're going to have to do something about that," Damon declared and tried to reach over and bite her neck without his fangs. She of course, fought back giggling and slapped him playfully until he gave up.

"Does this means we're friends?" she asked with humor, but also a hint of seriousness.

"Lea, look at me. I am not the kind you can think of as a friend. I have my dark side and you have your annoying quirks." He said it with his usual superiror smirk.

"In my country we have a saying: En ven er en som ved alting om dig og kan lide dig alligevel." It was strange to hear her talk her native language, because she spoke English so well. But now that he heard it, her way of talking further back in the throat made him realize that she had a tendency to do the same when she spoke English. He had merely regarded it as a natural almost growling way of speaking until he heard her speak Danish. "I believe you Americans have the same saying that goes: A friend is someone who knows all about you and still likes you."

"Actually it's: and still _loves_ you," he corrected her qoute jestingly.

"Well Damon, I know your dirty personality, and I still _like_ you," she announced, poking him on the shoulder. He looked at her for a while, contemplating her saying.

"I guess that means we're friends then. Because your stubborn attitude and silliness aside, you're a fairly decent woman Lea." She nodded, pretending not to be surprised, but her inner self had dropped everything she was carrying and stared with open mouth on the handsome dark vampire. "Anyway I can always use a supernatural mystery woman as a friend. When Arawn turns you, you and I could paint the town very red."

Lea grew pale. "Do you think I'll be vampire evil, if I turn?" she gasped. "That I would... want to kill?"

"I don't know."

"That would be worse than death." When she noticed how he looked at her, she added: "I don't judge you because you chose to become a vampire. But I can't become that. It would go against everything I believe in." He could see fear in her eyes; A rare sight and it made him curl his brow.

"I didn't want to change," he mumbled so low she could barely hear him. "I'd decided to die instead of transitioning." Lea glared at him, unable to speak. Damon wasn't sure why he was sharing this with her, but something in Lea had that effect on him. "I was infatuated with this vampire, Katherine - I'm sure Elena told you about her - and I turned the night she died. Or at least I thought she died, selfish bitch. Stefan brought me a girl who was bleeding and I couldn't resist."

"You must really love your brother, to forgive him for that," she said, stunned.

"My point is, I turned out very fine," Damon smirked and gestured his body. "You'll be fine too. Besides, you're something else. Arawn can't use a vampire. He needs someone... fertile." He gave her that insolent stare and it actually made her feel comforted. "It's always your choice Lea."

"Not if Elena and Stefan are in danger. I promise you."

"And I am going to be there with you to make sure you keep it. But the transition is still your choice."

She finished her luke warm coffee, feeling strong and ready again. There was a soft wind playing with her blond hair and she closed her eyes, welcoming it. It was impossible to know what would become of tonight, even with all the plans Jeremy had made. Lea took the minutes before their departure to just feel content with drinking a cup of coffe in a beautiful garden, bathed in golden autumn light and in the company of a friend.

...

"Shit!" Jeremy cursed searching the vampire crowd assembling at the excavation through his riflescope. "They're not there. He didn't bring my sister and Stefan."

"What do we do then?" Bonnie whispered and shifted awkwardly with the gun in her hand.

"Caroline, I need you to really listen for any clues," Jeremy said and Caroline waved at him as a sign she had heard him, from a rooftop nearby. "So that is Arawn." Jeremy handed a pair of binoculars to Bonnie and as she took them their fingers brushed each other.

"Ehm.. Which one is it?" she asked with red cheeks.

"The one without his shirt."

"How do you know?"

Jeremy pointed to his tattoo. "Ah yes, the hunter instinct," Bonnie smiled. Jeremy sat loading huge wooden bullets into his rifle.

"There's nothing we can do now but wait. If we don't know where my sister is, a distraction loses its value."

"I thought you had a backup plan."

"You're the backup plan. Use your magic to locate them."

"I already tried that. Arawn has something shielding them."

"Trust your instincts," he said taking her hand. "You already have the talent." The faith in his warm brown eyes made her unable to argue and he knew it. "Text us when you've located them." She nodded numbly and began climbing down into the ally.

Damon was looking cocky as always and Lea had adopted his attitude. She didn't want Arawn to see any weakness. They walked through the abandoned streets of Mystic Falls. No one was out tonight, which was odd, but she reckoned Arawn had that effect on people. His bad intentions lay over the town like volcanic ash. They saw the bartender from their night at the Grill open his door, immediately getting a look like he was suffocating and closing the door again.

"There's definitely something rotten in the air," Damon said. "I wonder how he does that? It could get very inconvenient if I wanted something to eat when everyone seems to hide in their houses."

"How can you think about eating right now?"

"It's vampire thing," he shrugged.

They got closer to the town square and Lea kept looking up trying to spot Jeremy or Bonnie.

"What are you looking for? Birds? Arawn has already captured our friends, do you want him to catch our birds too?" he asked and raised his eyebrows, trying to remind her discretely that it was foolish to draw attention to their backup. Embarrassed she lowered her head.

When they reached the open area between the buildings they both saw the flickering fires of the torches the vampires had lit. Arawn's stoic silhouette was easily recognisable against the evening sky. As they got closer he turned towards her and Lea felt creeped out seeing as he looked much younger since the last time she saw him. Where there had been stubles there was now only a smooth chin and his hair was shorter. She could tell that the wrinkles he had in the corners of his eyes were also gone. Whether it was botox or some Original trick it was unnatural. His minions were lined up around him as always, giving her the impression of a mafia boss with his buffoons.

"Good evening Lea," his gentle dark voice greeted her and she could have sworn he looked taller too. "I have been waiting anxiously for you."

"Where are my friends?"

"They are safe, waiting for you somewhere not so far from here. Who is this?"

"Someone who is very interested in you keeping your word," Damon replied curtly and expanded his blue eyes to give him that crazy stare.

"It's the brother," Shedu cut in. "The strong one." Arawn looked pleased.

"Good, and where is that witch Shedu told me about?"

"Waiting somewhere not so far from here," Lea copied him with a challenging smile.

"I see you're wearing the dress," Arawn noted, not responding to her spite, "I take that it means you're here to commit?"

Lea wasn't eager to say yes, but the situation didn't allow her to decline. "I am."

"Good." He offered her his hand and she accepted it. Arawn led her to the spot where she had first found the skeleton. _I knew she had something to do with all this_, Lea boasted to herself. Arawn put his hands on her shoulders and studied her so intimately she began to feel uncomfortable. "You look beautiful. Young but ripe," he sighed and she wanted to place her arms over her breasts as his eyes roamed down her body.

Damon watched them with sharp eyes, not sure what to do when Elena wasn't here to be saved. Lea stood almost painfully straight with her rebellious mouth closed tightly.

"This is a special place," Arawn spoke. "This is a place where humans are king and nature is forgotten. It is a center of civilisation."

Damon was careful not to snort at the statement. Mystic Falls was a small town and not at all the epitome of cultivation and progress.

"This is where life has died and where you will rise. As we go towards the sun you too will start to shine."

Damon wondered why Arawn performed the ritual without a witch as the Original revealed a familiar object.

"You will drink of the Green blood." He opened her hands and placed that glowing mystery flask in her palms. She looked at the quarts bottle that had started this war and wanted mostly to smash it on the ground. It was obviously so vital a part of the ritual that he still needed his leverage to make sure she obliged and drank it. If she couldn't drink it, maybe he couldn't continue with his plan.

Then she saw Damon's intense eyes. He knew what she was considering and his expression warned her not to break her promise and do anything that could endanger Elena. With a thin smile she put her little finger on her heart to show him she honored their agreement and then removed the crystal orb acting as a cork. The quarts felt warm against her lips as she tipped her head back and allowed the strange blood free access to her throat. It tasted like regular blood, like she had tasted it when she bit her lip or something and the metallic flavor made her want to vomit. Arawn's presence so near to her also contributed to making her sick and for a moment she had to pause and put her head between her legs, concentrating on keeping it down.

It sounded like the blood whispered inside her, as if she was drinking someone's soul. Her fingers started quivering, like they tried to play a piano ferociously and she watched them twitch against her will.

"What is it?" she gasped her voice not quite obeying her. She knew what it had done to Elena, but what would it do to her, when she wasn't hurt?

"Blood of someone powerful and free," he simply said without further explanation. Slowly the odd sensations integrate with her usual feelings and lingered only as a vague discomfort.

"Now take me to them," she ordered and Arawn reclaimed the empty crystal flask.

"Very well." He made a sweeping gesture towards the east and Lea realized he was pointing to the line of boulders leading away from the excavation that Sean had told her about that night in the cabin in the woods.

"Start walking," Shedu hissed at Damon who stepped close to the old vampire in a provocative manner before complying. On the rooftop Jeremy was cursing again. He hadn't prepared for the fight to move out of the town. Quickly he filled the lightest weapons into a small bag. Caroline joined him a second later.

"They're leaving," she whispered loudly.

"I can see that."

"Bonnie's not back yet?"

"No." He discarded the machinegun with a reluctant sigh and got up to see in which way the group was heading. "Where did they go?" he exclaimed as the town square lay empty and dark before them.

"I didn't see," Caroline grunted defensively and attempted to pick up any sound of vampires on the move. Not an easy task at all.

"Let's go. Now!" Jeremy ordered, aware that he had made a bad mistake._ Never take your eyes off the prize_, he badgered himself and climbed down with fast efficiency.

Once they were out of the town there was no path to follow along the boulders and Lea walked slowly to keep from falling. She could hear Damon sniffing the air to catch any sign of his brother and Elena, and when he stiffened she knew they were getting close. A part of her was slightly fascinated with how this ancient ritual road would be used once again and another part of her wanted to never reach the end of it.

It didn't feel very magical to trot along like this and the clumsy dress did not improve on the situation. Lea pictured magic to be smooth and elegant with little twinkles of light, but this seemed more like a school field trip arranged by that sadistic biology teacher who wanted to teach them the hard truths of life and tadpoles. The half dozen vampires following them kept staring at her and though she tried to ignore it they made her stomach cold and hard.

Suddenly Damon broke into a sprint, but was tackled instantly by Shedu. His blue eyes were raging and Lea looked ahead to see more vampires waiting and Elena and Stefan tied to each other. Stefan was leaning on Elena, looking like someone had killed him over and over again, so many times his body was struggling to mend itself. Elena was wearing some rag instead of her normal clothes.

"See Lea, there they are," Arawn pointed and she nodded.

"Now let them go."

He looked at her, his rough features enhanced by the darkness and bent down to catch her chin between two fingers. "First you must complete the second part of the ritual." He revealed a knife made entirely from wood and subconsciously she stepped back a bit, feeling her heart threatening to collapse.

"What do you want me to do with that?"

"Take a life to make a life," he said without a smile and easily forced her fist open to place the dagger in her hand. Elena swallowed hard with wet eyes, a silent acceptance of what she had suspected all along.

"You said they would be free!" Lea argued desperately and walked as far away from the lovers as the circle of vampires allowed. She refused to do something so terrible. Arawn looked at her like he couldn't understand the problem.

"They will be."

Damon had gotten back on his feet and was being restrained by Shedu. Lea noticed Mara sat very close to her two friends and she felt like kicking her when the twisted vampire placed a possessive hand on Stefan's foot.

"It's not a choice, Lea," Arawn spoke with harshness. "You kill one or I kill both."

"You lied to me! I won't do it."

"It should be me," Elena said and received an angry push from Stefan. "You're not really alive Stefan, so she can't take your life. If it has to be someone, let it be me."

"Oh that's a minor detail," Arawn dismissed. "Stefan is alive enough to die. You choose, Lea." When she was paralyzed by the dilemma Arawn walked quickly to Elena and placed a hand around her neck. "Too late, I choose for you."

"No!" Lea shouted at the same time as Damon broke free and ran to push away Arawn's hand. For the first time since she had met him, Arawn looked furious. He grabbed Damon by the neck and lifted him off the ground with one hand.

"You shouldn't have, Mr. Dispensable." He shaped his hand as talon and moved to snatch Damon's heart out. Before he could however, Lea suddenly stood between them breathing heavily and unable to stop herself she pushed the vampire hard. To everyone's surprise Arawn was pushed a few steps back, in spite of his overwhelming strength. The Original only had a momentarily expression of surprise on his face, before it turned into a pleased smile. "This one, I think," he barked and Shedu and Mara stepped up to cease Damon again. "You have chosen your life, now take it."

Merciless hands caught her and brought her face to face with Damon. He was looking at Elena, who in turn looked at Stefan. The brown eyed girl, with her divine olive skin kissed her boyfriend with grateful and sad tears streaming down her cheeks.

Damon looked at the two of them. Was he really sacrificing himself for someone who would never love him? Someone who didn't even care to look at him? Damon never figured he would sacrifice himself for anyone. Elena hid her face in Stefan's shirt and his brother was looking him dead in the eye. Stefan would take his brother's place anytime but Damon shook his head. They were happy together, even if Stefan died Elena would never love Damon like she did his brother. He knew this, but in the face of death he would have preferred to know that he had possessed her love, just once.

Defeated he turned his eye back on Lea, who was shaking with fear. He had never seen her so genuinely scared and it occurred to him that she was more afraid of killing than dying.

"Original's recipes always require sacrifices," he said in his usual joking tune and she fought the tears.

"I can't kill you."

Behind her the vampires holding her sent questioning eyes to Arawn, but he ignored them and followed the scene with interest.

"Lea, I have wanted to kill you several times, just do it."

"No. You're my friend."

"Wake up Lea, I don't have friends," he hissed and looked over at Elena.

"I don't want to betray you," she mumbled.

"Then kill me. Keep your promise to get them home safely and I won't come back to haunt you."

She looked at Arawn. "Is this the only sacrafice needed for this ritual?" Lea asked the Original and he nodded.

"Kill the boy," Arawn said, making Damon snort, "and the others go free." Lea looked at Damon who still had his eyes on Elena.

"Just do it, Lea," Damon said as she scouted the darkness hoping that Bonnie or Jeremy had been able to follow and would run in shooting every last vampire, but no one came to help her. The Green Blood still slithered around inside of her, making her vision blurry. She was boiling with emotion.

"I'd rather kill myself," Lea spoke coldly and Damon quickly turned to look at her with disbelief written on his face. She turned the dagger till it pointed at her own throat and Arawn rolled his eyes over the drama.

"Don't do that, I'm not worth it," Damon breathed shocked and Elena finally emerged from her boyfriend's chest.

"He's right Lea. Don't harm yourself," Elena whispered and Damon sent her a look of total serenity.

"He can't make me kill someone. That is _my_ choice," Lea shouted angrily, recalling Damon's words from earlier. "And I'd rather finish this whole thing by removing the source of all this." The point of the dagger got drilled in to her skin a bit, freeing a small drop of blood. Damon knew she would go through with it. Without a second thought Damon reached for her, forcing the dagger in her hand back at him. Lea tried fighting him off, but he wouldn't let go. The green of her eyes pierced him and their fire made him sure he was doing the right thing. _The right thing... when have I ever done the right thing?_ Lea was so fierce, so alive and looking into her strong face he knew he didn't want her to die. It was strange having spent the last three days thinking about Elena's survival at all costs and now the situation had shifted and he found that Lea's survival mattered too. Maybe if he had met her before Katherine, Elena, maybe she could have become something more. Maybe then he would have died with a heart less empty.

Damon leaned his forehead against her's and whispered: "For the sake of a woman without fear, who makes my heart dance. That's not a bad way to go." Then he kissed her tears and guided her unwilling hands in a fast precise thrust with the dagger into his heart.

Elena screamed. Lea cried. Stefan went paler than white. Shades of grey spread across Damon's skin like veins through a marble rock. Not far away Caroline picked up on the shouts and clutched her stomach against the sound of sorrow. She ran for it with Jeremy close behind and Bonnie joined them, suddenly finding her way too.

"I will destroy you," Stefan yelled at Arawn and several vampires had to hold him down in spite of the vervain ropes. "I will rip you apart!"

To Lea the whole world was a haze. She knelt by the corpse and caressed the black hair, trying to understand why Damon would do such a thing. She felt him against her skin, very aware that he would never be able to feel her, ever. _Please forgive me_, her thoughts shouted and she felt like something had been detached from her body, split her like an axe splits wood. Tears streamed down her face. _It's my fault. Damon..._ Had she only been faster, if only she hadn't hesitated, this cruelty designed by Arawn would have never ocurred.

"This is all very touching, but we don't have all night. I need someone to carry the body, Shedu?" Arawn said unaffected and started walking on. Lea was yanked on her feet and pushed forwards.

"Don't touch him!" Stefan roared when Shedu went to lift the corpse. "I will carry my brother."

"Fine, fine, let him carry his sorry sibling," Arawn said and Stefan sat down gingerly easing his arms under Damon, his face reflecting how the act tortured him. Elena held her hands over her mouth, unable to comprehend what had happened and Lea swayed like a limp dandelion before the wind.

Lea's mind struggled to find a meaning, a frame she could apply to the tragedy and sorrow. She remembered everything he had said to her, the things they had done, like that stupid waltz at the Grill. She recalled him throwing her into a lake and the clear moment when they decided to be friends. Damon had never been a good guy, but he did care and he sacrificed any concept of ego, laying down his life for her. She felt so cold. Something was wrong inside of her, but she was too numb to feel how the ritual was affecting her. Slowly Lea slipt into a darkness blacker than the night and it settled around her sanity.

The vampires dragged her on and they reached the forest without Lea ever snapping out of her mindless sadness. Elena's cheeks were wet and she was sulking quietly. Damon lay lifelessly in Stefan's arms and the younger brother's mouth was twisted with grief.

In the shadows Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy had caught up with them and a silence fell over their hearts when they saw Damon's condition. They all felt like kids lost in the woods.

After an immeasurable amount of time the trees gave away for a tiny lake and small spring. The vampires ran around it to set up torches and soon the glade was lit up. Arawn gave some orders that neither Elena, Stefan or Lea could hear. There was a commotion in the bushes, before Shedu and a few others came out with Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy. Jeremy was unconscious and Bonnie bleeding from cuts on her neck.

"You won't get away with this," Caroline seethed, fighting hard against the hands holding her.

"Just settle down. You are a baby in the Master's eyes," a butch vampire said.

"How the hell do you expect to win Lea over if you're killing her friends?" Caroline continued and Arawn turned to her, amused.

"She has made no bargain for your life blonde one, so I would keep very still if I were you." The steel in his voice made her purse her lips and stare desperately at Lea. Everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong and she wanted to run amuck.

Lea looked like a hypnotized cobra, her eyes seeing some place far away from the glade.

"It is time for the final part of the ritual," Arawn announced and took Lea's hand. She let him guide her, like she was a slave, to the water where he pulled her further and further in.

"This water comes from the deepest abyss of the earth. It is the blood vein of the planet. You will drink it like a babe drinks the water from its mother's womb." Bonnie was ignoring the pain in her head to follow the ritual closely. Maybe she could reverse it if she remembered every detail.

"In blood lies your power, and by blood shall you receive power." Arawn poured water from his palm into her mouth. When she swallowed automatically he embraced her and dragged her down under the surface. Lea's eyes widened as she was enveloped in chilly calming water. It woke her like a heavy dose of caffeine and she looked into his commanding grey eyes with all the anger of a vengeful woman. His arms prevented her from escaping and only the thought of Elena and Stefan kept her from biting his nose off. Just before her lunges couldn't handle the lack of oxygen Arawn brought her back up and caressed her wet tresses.

"You are so clean Lea. Anything can come of such cleanness, even evil." Then he bit himself and forced the blood on her lips. She tried cringing away but inevitably ended up touching it with her tongue.

"Why are they still here?" Lea asked, and indicated Stefan and Elena. She felt a sharp and pressing need to avenge Damon.

"They're free to go once you complete your transformation," he shrugged and carried her back to land.

"What more do I need to do?" Lea asked, suddenly very bent on achieving power and freedom, so she could crush Arawn to dust. She would make him squeal like a pig. The water was cascading off the green ruffles and Arawn led her to a rectangular hole in the ground, looking very much like a grave.

"Energy, blood, water and dirt are what you are made of Lea. You have taken three of those inside you. This is the last ingredient this is where you are made." He shoved her backwards into the hole and she fell six feet down, landing on thick mud. Before she could get up buckets of earth were thrown down on her, making her cough and filled her mouth.

"I thought you wanted her alive!" Elena shouted in horror as they filled up the hole and Lea's strained cries were muffled. Stefan had no more to give and simply stared at the scene with heartbroken misery.

The small rocks and clay invaded her mouth and ears and nose. Lea was suffocating. She wanted to fight the claustrophobia but the earth held her tight, uniting with her, pressing to enter her skin and soul. It was like being trapped under the weight of a mountain and the loss of liberty was far worse than the fact that she was losing conciousness. The gravel felt like troll fingers craving her, wanting her to surrender to a life in eternal blindness as a slave to the netherworld. The blood of the quarts flask and of Arawn was burning her tongue and the fire spread to her brain, her chest, her sex. It overthrew the sensations of immobility until she felt fluent like flames. Everything felt hot as if she was surrounded by embers and it scorched her flesh.

Imperceptibly the earth around her started altering, not limiting her anymore, but letting her expand so far, far into the unknown, until she was no longer one being. Like rays of sunshine she was perforated by strings of strange roots so small they were barely visible and they gathered inside of her, a web of connections from her out into the ground, linking her fire to all the fires of the world. The fires were talking, screaming in pleasure and pain. They seethed. It was excruciatingly painful, but she was free to squirm and twist and jolt as the fires of the world built up their energy in her and she could push, push until something burst and the strangest creatures with fangs and black eyes were staring at her.

Bonnie and the other's saw Lea crawl from the dirt like an animal with flickering eyes and wary hands. Her body and hair were dressed in mud and she didn't move to wipe it off even though it dripped from her eye lashes. With slow caution Lea rose to her feet without embarrassment, even though it was evident that her dress had somehow disappeared and she was naked, except for the mud.

"What kind of magic is that?" Jeremy whispered to Bonnie but she shook her head, not knowing what to answer.

Arawn approached her and gestured to the water, and she glared at him as if there was nothing behind her eyes. The Original led her to the lake again, washing her till the water was black and she could be wrapped in a delicate white silk chiton*.

"Now there is only one thing left to do," Arawn spoke gently and she looked at him as if she couldn't hear him. He took her to Damon, still lying in his brother's arms and Stefan cringed when he saw the ominous green glow in her eyes. He didn't want anyone to touch his brother again.

Lea was somewhere inside herself crowded by all the fire in her, flames that wouldn't stop talking in her mind, pleading, commanding, moaning and shrieking at her. She vaguely registered that she was taken to the water again and Arawn's voice that sounded like the dreams you can't remember when you wake up in the morning. Her feet had a will of their own as they carried her somewhere she couldn't see. There were pyramids and rainforests and holy cows running over her irises.

Then there was a face. A face she remembered, one she appreciated and even adored. Black hair, blue but vacant eyes and a thin smile that echoed his arrogance. Through all the disturbances and fire she heard words she couldn't comprehend.

"You must complete the transformation, Gea. You must restore what you took to become all that you can be. Bring him back to life," Arawn urged her. Bonnie froze when she heard his words.

Lea started crying because of the impossible request and felt that all the fire in her was useless.

"I can't... th-the voices," she managed to stutter and her hands flew up to shield her head. She wanted to obey. She wanted to bring him back. But death is irreversable, it cannot be undone.

Suddenly the storm inside her went silent and a single familiar voice spoke to her so loud and clear. _"I know what you are now Lea,_" Bonnie whispered in her mind. "_You can do this. I will shield you from the voices as long as I can, so take the moment to steady yourself. I have been where you are. Don't resist them, let them guide you._" The witch sat with her eyes closed and her hands clasped together. Jeremy came to, and saw that Bonnie was bleeding from her nose already.

Lea seemed like she collected herself and a glimpse of awareness returned to her. Her shoulders jumped slightly as the glimpse fated and her hands were trembling as she reached out and placed them on Damon's head and heart.

It felt like her skin was being torn of her fingers and into him, like thousands of mosquitoes were biting her, draining her. Lea wanted to remove her hands, but she couldn't. I have to save you, she thought as the voices inside her rose to a choir of unanimous chanting. When she thought he had devoured her body completely, and there was no more life to give, she felt the earth below her, reaching up her ankles and empowering her further. It was like space and time bended towards Damon, twirling in a colorful dizzy maelstrom, slowly restoring the life to his eyes. At last she too was bent towards him and her lips planted a kiss and a spark on his mouth.

Damon lifted his head the same way he would do when he woke up with a killer hangover and saw Lea's face lingering over him, beaming and glowing as if she was the rising sun.

Stefan stared in disbelief until Damon asked him to please put him down before they both died of shame. He noticed how the grass had somehow grown aggressively in a circle around them, until it lay like a nest by their feet. Lea enjoyed the sight of Damon before the voices turned against her once more, banishing her to some dark corner or her mind.

Arawn took Lea's hand, bored with the family reunion and turned her so he could cup her cheeks.

"Frigg are you there? Talk to me," Arawn called gently, looking deep into Lea's eyes. They looked at him, unable to understand, when a voice so different from Lea's rang from her mouth:

"Arawn? Where am I?"

"You are back, my Antumn. Back with me." Lea's expression seemed strange, like it didn't belong to her. She stepped back and looked at the Original before her fury blazed up.

"You killed me!"

"I know I did. I love you," he exclaimed with a vulnerability that shocked them. Lea's features turned milder.

"You know it cannot be, Arawn. It is wrong in so many ways."

"Please do not start that speech again, Frigg. We are above the rules of ethics. You taught me what I am and I will teach you what we can be." The hope in his voice confused them all. She watched him with infinite sadness and Damon wanted to beat the Original with a boulder for bringing such an emotion on Lea's face. "You and me together, we can rule earth and mankind."

"No one can rule earth," Lea sighed with a thick guttural accent.

"You said yourself that I was here to punish men, to bring back the Era of the Hunter. Why then do you deny me that right, and your love?"

"Nothing has changed, Arawn. Death has not given me the need to give in to you. It has only brought me clarity. You were a mistake, Arawn. Your whole existence is a mistake made by a scornful woman. Vampires should never have existed."

The tenderness was replaced with dark wrath boiling in the Original. "You lie!"

"No Arawn. I am sorry, but I am no liar." Lea's strange voice was smooth, but it did nothing to soothe Arawn's anger. Bonnie could only assume that this Frigg had somehow taken control of Lea, like Emily Bennett had once possessed Bonnie. "I want nothing to do with you Arawn and neither does this poor girl you have placed me in." Her words tipped him over the edge and in a flash he struck her so hard on the side of the head that she fell backwards. Damon heaved in air sharply, and Stefan held him back by the shoulder.

"You will give me my children, even if I have to rape you," he roared and went to pick her up. A sudden rumble from the earth made him hesitate and the other vampires around him started getting nervous.

"You killed me because you caught me unaware. This time I see your intentions very cleary, _love_," she spat and dug her fingers into the ground. Elena clung unto Stefan as the earth cracked open, moving under them all like a giant beast. Vampirles were flung unto branches of the trees, staked instantly and Arawn himself disappeared into a canyon gaping under him. The ground swallowed the Original and closed its lips to keep him there.

It was over in a minute and Frigg brushed her dress clean before turning to the speechless spectators. Damon was holding his sore head.

"Is he dead?" Jeremy questioned the blond woman before them who somehow seemed larger.

"No. He is more complicated than that," she said regretfully. "I assume you are acquianted with the girl whose body I am currently loaning." They all nodded. "Good, let's go somewhere safe to talk. I reckon you have a lot of questions."

* * *

**Lea's dress is not Arawn's idea of a prank. He genuinely thinks that it's her style and that it suits her. You may have picked up on Arawn being a very theatrical vampire who loves grand gestures and hearing himself talk. You will soon get to see just how highly he thinks of himself. Anyway for the dress I was inspired by dress sculptor Robin Barcus Slonina. She made a dress out of pine tree branches.**

**Points to you if you caught my tiny Big Bang Theory theme song reference :D I love Nerds. **

***Chiton - a traditional ancient greek dress - google it :)**

**What did you think of this turn of events? **


	14. Chapter 14

**For the last part of this chapter I was inspired by the song ****_So close_**** by jon mclaughlin, if you feel like listening to something.**

******AshlynVarela asked a good question about Arawn: Will killing Arawn kill all other vampires, since he is the original Original? :) Only Arawn's line of sired vampires would die. Everyone connceted to Ester's children won't die because Klaus and Elijah and so on are all Originals too. They aren't connected through sireing to Arawn.**

******Oh and I made a tumblr profile where you can see pictures of OC characters and listen to the music that inspired me.**

* * *

Stefan limped to his brother and nearly smothered him with a happy very un-Stefan-like hug. Damon resisted a second before giving in to the rare brotherly moment, for once not trying to hide his relief.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stefan asked, regarding his brother with worry. Damon lifted up his arms, inviting Stefan to check for himself.

"Relax, it's not like I haven't died before," he replied more casual than he felt. "It all worked out fine."

"That's one way to look at it," Caroline said and glanced at Lea or Frigg - or whatever they were supposed to call her now.

If they hadn't known Lea, they wouldn't have been able to tell that something was wrong, but having spent so many hours with her everything about her seemed off. Where Lea would usually stand very straight, always ready to jump on to the next adventure, Frigg looked almost lazy her arms hanging aimlessly down her side. The eyes twinkled secretively, inviting them to solve her mystery, an expression completely foreign to Lea.

"What happened to Lea?" Damon demanded.

"She's alright, for now she is simply unable to take control of herself. I'm still trying to sort out what happened, but I have a pretty good idea." The voice sounded wrong in Lea's mouth.

"Who are you?" Jeremy questioned and tilted his head from side to side as if he was trying to catch a glimpse of Lea from behind a curtain.

"My name is Frigg, daughter of Fjørgun. I gather that a few years has passed since I died. I never thought Arawn would try to bring me back. What year is this?"

"2015," Bonnie said, obviously much more comfortable with this odd magical occurrence than the others.

"A thousand years," Frigg sighed. "You would think he would have gotten over me by now and frankly I thought more would have changed." She looked around the forest, searching for more signs of progress other than the manly and revealing clothes worn by the girls.

"It has changed plenty," Bonnie assured her. "You can come with us back to the Boarding House so we can work things out."

"Are you sure that's such a great idea?" Jeremy asked her.

"She won't hurt us. If she wanted to, we would have been killed during that quake."

"Right you are, young witch. I have no desire to reside in this body or this time but at least for now it seems I must intrude on your hospitality."

Damon grunted. He didn't want to wait to get back to the Boarding House. That woman was going to leave Lea's body now! "I think you should get out of her right now, and we'll take the real Lea back to the Boarding House." There was no doubt of his hostile attitude towards the invader but she merely began laughing.

"You have courage, for a young vampire who just saw me impale a dozen of your race without breaking a sweat. I suggest you be a good boy like your friends if you want to get Lea back. I say we go to this _Boarding_ House as the witch suggested."

The threat left him little choice, although Damon wanted to kill her just for patronizing him in that way (and he probably would have tried if she wasn't in Leas body). He could see Bonnie was looking particularly smug and felt his temper rising and pulse quickening._ Wait, what? Pulse?_ Damon forgot all about the argument he wanted start and listened to the unmistakable sound of his heart beating. He glared at Frigg who had exploited his moment of silence to encourage Bonnie to lead the way back to Mystic Falls.

His heart had never drummed this hard even when Lea's blood was in his system. It hadn't been beating like this since... since he was human. _What the fuck!?_

He saw Stefan was studying him and he immediately pretended to just be pouting and followed the others away from the glade. When his brother turned his attention to Elena, Damon put his hand on his chest to make sure that the abnormal heart beat hadn't stopped. It was still hammering on. Quickly he raised his chin catching Jeremy's blood scent and sniffed in hard. The familiar feeling of his extended incisors and the blood lust rushed over him. _I am still a vampire then. What the hell have you done to me?_ He glared at Frigg, who was walking up in front with Bonnie asking the witch all of their names and what had led up to the ritual.

During the long walk home Damon didn't get any less confused or irritated. He hoped she wasn't turning him into a god damn human.

He had died with a sort of peace of mind, accepting his fate and even feeling a bit relieved to let go of all the shit that had filled his life. He never had the time to think of what would come next - Hell perhaps. Fortunately he wouldn't get to find out either. The pain from the dagger had passed quickly and the last thing he remembered feeling was satisfaction over the unadulterated sorrow reflected on Lea's face. Then the darkness had swallowed him, leaving him with no thoughts or feelings.

He had floated through a dark ocean, not knowing or caring where he ended up. It was a sleep without dreams or sense of self. Suddenly the pain, the awareness, returned to him in a flash. Then he had felt Lea. She was like a bonfire, blazing through the black ocean to find him. She was screaming for him. Damon had no will of his own to reach out and let her know where he was, but she found him anyway. Although the darkness struggled to prevent him from leaving she tore and tore until he was ripped into the light with a thundering headache and this strange drumming inside him.

He cursed Arawn for letting Frigg hijack Lea just when he needed her answers the most. Of course she wouldn't know what was happening to her, but still, it was better to have a bewildered Lea than this mysterious ghost. He didn't need a new puzzle on top of all the others. Damon decided to throw this bimbo from the past out on her ass as soon as he could come up with a way to get rid of her. Bonnie had managed something similar several times, but the witch seemed more excited than concerned about the situation.

_Look at her strut like she owns that body._ Even her hair bounced different than Lea's and she kept looking everywhere; up in the sky, at the trees, stopping to touch a particular stone. Even though Bonnie tried her best to get Frigg to tell her more about what had happened with Lea after the ritual, the ghost practically ignored the effort. Damon suspected Bonnie already had an idea as to what Lea was, and if she held out on them Damon would make her regret it.

When they saw the house the others realized how exhausted they all were. For the first time in five days they were all safe even Lea, physically anyway. As soon as they entered Frigg started acting like their joined mother, sending them straight to bed and only Caroline had the energy to argue. Frigg simply bossed the blond vampire up stairs like she was the mistress of the house and ignoring any protests. They were all flabbergasted, not sure how a thousand year old ghost even knew how to navigate the house, that must have looked like a spaceship to someone from the Viking Age. When Caroline finally broke through Frigg's stern care and asked if she wasn't freaked out by the modern surroundings the woman just smiled.

"One can only expect the unexpected under circumstances such as these. Do not try distract me from getting you to bed."

Caroline almost shrieked. "Why should we even listen to you?" Immidiately Lea's... Friggs' features softened.

"Are you not tired my sweetie?" she asked putting a reconciliatory hand on Caroline's shoulder and sounding like a grandmother. The tenderness perplexed the vampire.

"Well, a bit.. okay a lot, but,"

"Then go to sleep. We will talk come morning."

Elena watched the two, waiting for Caroline to flip. If there was one thing her friend hated it was when people ordered her around. A few seconds passed, then Caroline sighed, relenting and turned to the room she had been sharing with Bonnie these last days. The witched just smiled, tired, and promised Caroline that they would deal with the walking personality disorder in the morning.

Elena wasn't going to protest the orders as she wanted nothing more than to get out of the dirty linen rag and crawl into bed with Stefan.

"Have you eaten anything?" Stefan asked worried when he noticed her scrawny arms.

"I can't, I still feel so sick to my stomach." She tried to wave him off but he ran down stairs and returned with some bread and tea.

"You have to eat just a little before you go to sleep. I just got you back, and I don't want you to starve to death."

"Fine, fine," she said annoyed and swallowed a few pieces, barely able to keep it down. "Now can I sleep?"

"Sure." He kissed her lips and crawled in next to her. "Did Arawn hurt you?" His voice was full of regret of his failure to protect her. They had been held in separate places in Arawn's home the entire time and even though Stefan had been tortured most of the time, his only thoughts had been of Elena. It was what kept him going, even when Arawn finally had broken through his armor and he had spilled what little knowledge he had of Lea. It had been little insignificant details, that he didn't think could hurt her, but Arawn had hung on to every detail.

"I am okay, really. It was kind of cold in the dungeons, but I think I'll get off with just a minor flue. I'm more concerned about you."

"I got some blood when I got you the tea. I'll be healed by tomorrow."

"I have to admit, for a while I didn't think we would make it out of there," she whispered and cuddled close to him.

"Me neither. We have to be careful with Arawn. He'll be back to deal with Frigg. Hopefully she's up for protecting Lea."

"It's all very weird," Elena muttered half asleep. "But for once the big bad vampire isn't out to get me. It's kind of refreshing, even though we got ourselves caught in the crossfire anyway."

...

Damon sat in his room on the giant bed, touching his chest. Now that he was alone he could finally allow himself to marvel at what was happening to him. _A heartbeat_. He had been so occupied with trying to wrap his head around what was going on between Lea and Arawn. Only when the shock subsided did he feel it. He was still a vampire. That much was clear. Though his body felt like it had been forced through a wood chipper, he still had his superhuman strength. Damon had listened to Elena explain to Frigg what had happened when Lea killed and resurrected him, and he wanted to talk to Lea, but somehow this Frigg had invaded the Danish girl. It was very inconvenient and increasingly difficult having tod wait for dawn when Frigg had promised to tell them all she knew.

The others were already asleep by the sound of their snoring and he could hear Lea mumbling in her sleep. Damon rose resolutely and followed the sound of her voice. Apparently Frigg had decided to go to sleep outside on the lawn.

"Jeg.. ka ik," Lea mumbled, either in her own language or it might be jibberish. It seemed - at least for now - that Frigg had left the building and Lea was free to dream. Damon wanted to wake her up and question her, but she looked like she was dreaming about something unpleasant. He crouched beside her, putting his hand on his heart. _What have you done to me?_

After watching her ramble incoherently for a while he decided not to wake her. If even it was Lea and not Frigg that woke up, she would probably be more confused than he was. That would be useless. She had enough to deal with anyway. She was no good to him in this state. He considered walking back into his room, but after tonight he didn't like leaving Lea alone outside. Arawn was likely to stop by soon. Maybe he should just wait for morning beside her. That way he would be the first to know when Frigg was ready to share and he could take her inside if Arawn showed up.

...

The beautiful fortress-like house Shedu had spent the last four hundred years in was burning. The once so structured garden looked like a warzone, the scattered, mangled corpses of their servants spread like white bloodied rose petals in a cemetery. Every bush and tree was cut down, every flowerbed torn apart.

Shedu stood behind Arawn, his hands toying with a severed finger. He had been waiting for his master to finish raging without wanting to interfere. He and Arawn were the only survivors after Frigg's wrath.

On the bright side only few of Arawn's followers had been with them for the ritual, although Shedu was pretty sure Arawn didn't have a bright side. The bad part was that Arawn's last minute decision to let Lea drink Frigg's blood had backfired, and cost them many of their most loyal subjects. Shedu had advised against it, but Arawn always followed his own convictions and instinct. Shedu knew better than to tell him; I told you so.

"I want her dead!" Arawn roared on and grabbed another fallen tree, flinging it into the fires.

"If you kill Frigg now, you will kill Lea too," Shedu reminded him.

"I am aware. Lea is unbalanced by the power she wasn't ready for. I thought Frigg might be more reasonable after a millennia being dead, but obviously she is not worth my admiration." He halted his furious pacing when a thought crossed his mind. "I want Lea to regain control and send Frigg back to the void she came from."

"Of course."

"And from here on no more of thisss," Arawn hissed full of contempt and pointed at the burning building. "I was wrong to try and build a home for my children. They should be raised like I was, by the wild." His dramatic voice made the fire blaze higher. "We have betrayed ourselves, Shedu. Betrayed our nature, like the humans. No more mansions, no more civilty."

Shedu was tempted to ask if they should give up wearing clothes and shoes too. He held his tongue as always. Arawn had been his mentor ever since he changed Shedu in the land now know as India, many millennias ago. Shedu respected strength above all else and he would follow Arawn anywhere. Even into the sun. But the last thousand years had been a test of his loyalty._ Arawn the family man... Pfff_. He knew that this was all a part of the plan but Frigg had made Arawn soft, at least for a little while. The Original was not one to fall in love, but he did enjoy the epic stories of war, heroes and beauty. Shedu suspected that what Arawn felt for Frigg was never love, but a need to perform an epos of his own. After all what else is a vampire to do with his immortality?

Frigg's wrath had reminded the Original what truly mattered and his master was once again himself; angry, primordial, hungry.

"Did you find the young vampire I asked you to?" Arawn sneered.

"He will be here before sunrise,"Shedu promised.

"Get him to work straight away. I want Frigg dead as soon as possible."

If Arawn had been wearing one of those black capes that Dracula had paraded around in, he would have made it sweep after him like black wings as he ran full speed over the mountain side. Shedu followed him, gladly leaving behind the smoking ruin. He briefly thought of Mara, and how she would have shivered gleefully if she had seen Arawn's change of heart. She had been one amazing fuck, but he sure wasn't going to miss her stench.

...

By the first morning light most of they were all up, even though last night was painted on their faces. Even the vampires looked worn and as they gathered in the living room, most of them had found a blood bag to sip from. Bonnie and Frigg had eaten a quick breakfast, but Elena still didn't have any appetite. She had been dragging her feet around all morning and both Bonnie and Stefan had watched her with concern. Now Frigg had finally invited them to join her in the couch and they were waiting with dull anticipation.

"We're all here now," Elena said and put down a cup of morning coffee in front of Frigg. It was obvious that the ghost was still in full control of Lea's body because she was dressed in an uncharacteristic very romantic flowery dress, borrowed from Elena's closet. Her hair had been pinned up in an elaborate do and embellished with leaves from the garden. Frigg tasted the coffee and then stuck her tongue out like they had offered her something terrible.

"Eww, why do you drink this black water? It's dreadful. Don't you have any beer?" Stefan nodded with a smile and went to fetch one from the fridge. "It's incredible what humans have achieved in the last thousand years," Frigg spoke and poked the cell phone on the low table. She had embraced the whole futuristic experience with nothing but curiosity and kept on touching all the strange things around her and admiring the fabric of the curtains and the light bulbs.

"Here's your beer."

"Are you comfortable now? No need of an extra pillow to your back or maybe some woolen socks?" Damon asked with a strained sugar voice.

"No thank you," Frigg replied cheerily and marveled at the can of beer.

"Then get the fuck on with business and tell us what is happening."

Frigg wasn't intimidated by Damon's mood, but sent him a disdainful glare. "Vampires," she snorted. "One would think that eternal life would teach you patience."

"We're all just a bit shocked," Elena explained.

"Yeah, we never even got to ask you if you two are okay," Bonnie remembered looking at Elena and Stefan. "Are you okay?"

"We feel fine now. I just want some answers," Stefan replied, pulling Elena close. She was sitting in his lap and a fine layer of sweat on her brow revealed that she wasn't entirely fine.

"So I guess you're all a bit confused as to what happened to your friend last night," Frigg began but was quickly interrupted.

"Yes, why did you posses Lea?" Caroline spoke firmly. She had quickly decided that she liked Lea and that this turn of events was displeasing.

"I am not holding her hostage. She is too weak to take control of her own body right now. She wasn't ready for this kind of power, let alone Arawn's attempt to reinstate me into her body, but we're trying to teach her how to deal with it."

"We?"

"Teach her?" It was just too bizarre to talk to Lea about Lea being taught how to control Lea.

"Arawn opened a gate inside her, to all those who possessed her power before her, but mainly me, since it was my blood she drank."

"You're the skeleton from the grave," Bonnie gasped. "And it was Arawn who wanted to date you."

"Date?" Frigg asked.

"Ehm, he wooed you."

"Ah yes."

"Can't you just exorcise yourself or something?" Caroline asked.

"No, I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Lea has to evict me herself. If she can't, I'll probably take over completely."

"We can't let you do that," Jeremy said.

"Don't worry, young hunter. I have no desire to go against Nature. My life has ended. It is Lea's time to wield the power," Frigg shrugged. "Although I am enjoying getting to taste food one more time. These are delicious." She waved an Oreo in the air and then stuffed in her mouth with a loud pleased moan.

"What are you anyway?" Stefan asked and they all leaned forward to hear the answer they had been searching for since they met Lea.

It was Bonnie who answered. "They're Geas," she spoke with great reverence and showed them a page in the book on her lap. "This is what they are." The photo featured a morbidly obese female statue. They all looked at it for a second, then most of them burst into loud laughter.

"Haha, for a minute I thought you were being serious," Caroline laughed hard and Jeremy was grinning till his eyes watered. "That is a really fat woman! Thanks Bonnie, we needed a good laugh." Caroline chuckled and Frigg smiled looking down Lea's fit body, not without a sense of self-irony.

Bonnie, however, was pissed that they weren't taking her seriously. "I wasn't making a joke. It's not a subtle hint to get Lea on a diet. This is one of her ancestors, another vessel for the power she holds." Frigg touched the photo, more interested in the futuristic technique. When Bonnie didn't stop fuming it slowly dawned on them that she was in fact serious.

"A Gea? I never heard of Geas," Stefan said to get past the awkward moment that ensued.

"Sure you have, we just go by different names. Nymphs, Demeter, Gaia, Antumn, Mater Magna," Frigg listed, "and Frigg of course."

Damon stiffened. "Arawn called Lea Antumn."

Bonnie nodded as if this was proof enough.

"Those are mostly Goddesses, I don't believe in Gods." Caroline said rebelliously with the tone of someone who had to defend this point of view often.

"I don't either," Bonnie shrugged, "You don't have to be religious to know that Geas or witches or vampires exists. People just thought they were gods, like vampires have been thought to be devils and demons."

"Okay but what does a Gea do?"

"If witches are the servants of nature, Geas _are_ Nature," Bonnie explained and Frigg simply studied their reaction. "My Grams used to tell me that nature had a conscience, a will of its own and that is why it sometimes punishes witches by taking their power away when they abuse their magic to cause imbalance, like Esther. This conscience can sometimes take physical form if it feels threatened. Hence the Gea," she gestured Frigg sitting casually in the couch, as if Bonnie had simply told them that her hobby was tennis and stamp collecting. "Geas are not supernatural. They're - well - Nature."

"How?" Jeremy asked, unable to really understand the woman before them.

"They don't get their powers through genetics like werewolfes or transformation like vampires. Actually I don't know how you get your powers," Bonnie said turning to Frigg.

"We're born with a human soul in a human-like body, although there was a time when we were also born as animals and plants. When we get pregnant for the first time, the connection to our baby opens the connection to everything around us. We are given the mind of Nature and the ability to use the energy that links us all together. That is why they also call us the Body of Two Souls. Witches can acess and use Nature's power too to some extent, but they don't have the will of Nature, nor the full grasp of its power."

"So you're like a super witch?" Carline attempted.

"I don't do magic. I don't snap my fingers and say spells. I nurture and I bend the energy of life in the way it is supposed to be bent. If you imagine that the world is just a dead place of tangible things, from the tallest mountain to the smallest atom then the power of nature is the energy that gives life and movement to everything. A Gea has access to that energy and can shape it to help keep nature's balance."

"What does that mean? What can you do?"

"I am not fast or strong or a quick healer. I make things grow. That's why you are feeling so queasy Elena. I can sense you drank some of my blood, am I right?"

Elena nodded nervously.

"And you made love while it was still in your bloodstream, yes?"

Stefan shifted uncomfortably. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"Depends on how you both feel about children. My blood has that effect, even on the completely impotent, no offence Stefan."

"What are you saying?" Elena breathed with bulging eyes.

"I guess it's a bit early for you to discover it for yourself, but you're pregnant sweetie."

The room had been silent while they were trying to understand the Gea's disposition, but now a wave of reactions exploded. Stefan and Elena talked at the same time trying to ask Frigg if she was being serious, and how. Caroline did her adorable little scream that she always did when she was excited and Bonnie was flinging questions at Elena, to hear if she could feel the baby. Jeremy and Damon both looked like a pink elephant was soaring through the living room. No one noticed that all the noise caused a shimmer to cross over Frigg's features and for a moment Lea was back, watching and getting smitten by the panic. A second later she was gone though and Frigg rose to her feet trying to calm them down.

"Yes Elena, you are with child, and it is human. I'm the only one who can make vampire babies," she said like she had a bad taste in her mouth. Suddenly it seemed like Elena couldn't care less if Frigg was the embodiment of Nature, because a slightly green nuance was coloring her face.

"I need to sit down," she mumbled.

"You are sitting down," Stefan told her and took her hand.

"Maybe you guys need a moment?" Caroline suggested and Stefan agreed.

Frigg smiled at them, convinced that a baby was wonderful news and followed the others out of the room chatting like a bird to Damon who was trying to down an entire bottle of scotch in one go.

"Tell me what you're thinking," Stefan combed his hands through his hair and watched her when they were finally alone.

"I am thinking we both thought this could never happen."

"I know. It's impossible.. but it has happened. I could feel something was different with you, although I figured Arawn had done something bad to you."

She looked at him and saw there was a distinct gleam in his eyes. "How do you feel about it?"

"Honestly," he said, holding his breath, "I'm freaking happy." A stunned smile spread over his mouth and Elena thought it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. But she had only just survived being a teenager, how were they supposed to care for a child while being hunted by Originals and all the other supernatural crap that stalked them? What were the odds that she would even make it through a pregnancy? The gloomy thoughts reflected in her eyes and Stefan stroked her hair.

"I know what you're thinking," he said "and don't. You would be an amazing mother and nothing would happen to that child without your permission. I gave up the idea of a family long ago, Elena. And then you came into my life and I tried to push you away, because I was afraid my lifestyle would mean that you would get hurt, remember?"

She nodded.

"But here we are 6 years later and you are still here with me." Tears were beginning to pool in the corners of his eyes. "And you make me so happy. If you don't want the baby I won't blame you. But if you do..." he couldn't finish the sentence.

"Hey," she put her hand on his cheek. "You're right. I have done so many more impossible things than get pregnant. I do want a family with you Stefan."

In the kitchen Caroline jumped up and down, unable to relax when she heard her two friends kissing each other.

"Are you eavesdropping? That's not nice Caroline," Bonnie said but her facial expression was curious. "I know it's wild, but why are you so happy?"

"Because Bonnie, I know what it's like to give up the dream of living like a human. That baby is a miracle."

"Hale-fucking-luja," Damon grunted and looked out the kitchen window to Frigg who had gone outside with naked feet. He was at the end of his rope trying to deal with the his noisy heart beat and this news had delayed him further from getting his answers.

"So is a Gea one of the good guys?" Jeremy asked Bonnie.

"Not good or bad by human standards. They protect only balance." The witch looked to the woman outside with much respect.

"So what? She's like this almighty powerful kind of thing?"

"She's only a fragment of Nature's conscience and she's mortal, so no, she is by no means all-powerful. And you heard her, she nurtures mostly. Everything Geas do takes time."

"She worked pretty fast last night with that earthquake," Damon noted silently, not sure how to act around the Lea that wasn't Lea or the disgustingly happy couple in the living room, who by the sound it was getting it on in the couch. He wondered why he hadn't moved out long ago, although this was the first time he had considered it. Maybe it was time to get a place of his own.

"The birth of a Gea is a powerful event. Frigg drew power from it as did Lea when she resurrected you. Also Frigg is old. I bet she learned a few things along the way." They sneaked a peek at the Gea dancing in the garden like she was a careless toddler.

"Do you think she's powerful enough to kill Arawn?" Jeremy wondered.

"We will have to ask her."

40 minutes later Stefan and Elena were finally done celebrating and the others returned to the living room. Bonnie and Caroline hugged Elena and Stefan, after Jeremy recovered from the initial shock he too congratulated his sister. It made him happy that his big sister would have as normal a relationship as possible when in love with a vampire. Elena was definitely meant to be a mum. It had been a while since they had spent time together but it was clear that she was adult enough to handle the responsibility.

"I am glad that it will be a loved child," Frigg admitted. "Without knowing that much about how you do thing here in this time I have seen too many drunken fathers and unwilling accidental mothers when I was alive." Her statement reminded them that it wasn't Lea sitting in the chair.

"We need to deal with Arawn. Now more than ever," Stefan smiled and put his hand on Elena's belly.

"Can you kill him?" Jeremy asked Frigg.

"No, Arawn is special. But he can't be completely immortal if he was created by a Gea. We can only work within the laws of nature. All that is born can die."

"How do you know that?" Bonnie asked. Obviously they had gotten on to a subject her books didn't cover.

"As a Gea is connected to everything, they are also connected to their predecessors. It is highly unusual that a predecessor actually takes over another Geas body, but we do have a limited, shared collective memory. That is why I know you and Lea kissed," Frigg smiled at Damon making everyone turn around to look at him with open mouths. "And that a Gea gave birth to Arawn." The pile of shocking announcements on top of each other left the group completely unable to decide who they should stare at.

"What!?"

"You kissed her?!"

"Your kind made the first vampire!?"

Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie spoke simultaneously. Damon resolved to go straight for the liquor cabinet for yet another bottle, not reacting to any of them. It was clearly necessary to be excessively drunk for this conversation. Frigg was openly enjoying the commotion.

"I could perhaps call upon the Gea who birthed Arawn. She's in here," Frigg pointed to Lea's head . "It was so long ago she is almost just an echo of what she once was." Bonnie was still distracted by Damon and Lea's little secret and only Jeremy really focused on the Gea before them.

"If she created the first vampire, I am not sure I want to meet her," Elena said worried remembering her meeting with Esther, but Frigg's eyes were already blank looking like there was a search going on inside her. Suddenly a voice started shouting from Lea's mouth so they all jumped in their seats and Damon dropped his glass.

"_I see them, the sick mutation of nature! For all my power I cannot understand why Earth would allow such creatures - who will spit on their mother and mutilate her - to grow and thrive. They think themselves above all else. They do not know that killing their mother will kill them too. Humans. Disease. Murderers. I see how they have scarred the ground, how they cut and burn to make their fields. Fools. Do they not see that Earth provides for them, without this destruction? And they tell each other that they mount the Earth each year to force her to grow more food, so they can multiply. Does the wolf burn its home to feed its whelps? Does the swallow or the deer? They manage to create waste out of bounty, without acknowledging that they are a part of a delicate balance. Imbecils. Blasphemers. They must think themselves Gods for trying to dominate other animals. They bind them, they tame them. Disgraceful. Where did the hunter go? Why did men put down their bow and spear for plough and sickle? When did they leave their noble nature behind, to rape the Earth as if they could possess her? Do not worry, Squirrel and Owl and Lynx who was driven away when men claimed your forest. I bear within me Earth's revenge:_

_The Hunt master. He will restore the balance. He will be one of you. The shadow will be his home and the fire his enemy. My son will make men know that the Era of the hunt is not over. He will bring them back to the wild or wipe them all from the Earth. My Prince of the Untamed, the kill is yours. And men shall know you because of what they used to be and fear you because they recognize their own bright darkness: Their instinct._

_You will not be nurtured by my breast. The forest, the shade will be your mother. You will never know love, for love is a trade belonging to men of plough and sickle. Your will only feel hunger!_"

They all looked at Lea like she had lost her mind completely. During the brief window into her hateful predecessor's thoughts she had practically crawled up on the table roaring all the channeled anger into the face of a very pale Elena. None of them had seen Lea so ugly before But like a frown can be turned to a smile in the tiniest of moments, Frigg returned on Lea's face.

"Phfew, she was such a hateful woman," Frigg said and got down from the table like it was no big deal, she had crawled up there in the first place. "Not fond of humans, that one."

"You don't say," Jeremy smiled carefully and wiped off the drops of saliva she had spat in his face. This whole shifting personas thing was getting ridiculous.

"I am not sure I understood what just happened," Caroline frowned.

"Many thousands of years ago the humans lived only as hunters until some of them learned to be farmers, growing their food instead of hunting it. It meant a lot of changes to the earth, as humans cleared the forests to make room for fields. The Gea who was alive at the time wasn't very pleased with this change and she bred Arawn to stop them from ruining the lands. But he is a monster. Wanting to protect nature, she made something that went completely against nature."

They leaned back listening to her story.

"As it happened, Arawn and I crossed paths and neither of us knew what the other was. He courted me, and I fell for him. Until one night when his mother, my ancestor, came to me in a dream and told me who he was. He is the son of my power. That almost makes me his mother, and that detestable notion made me sick to my stomach. I could never love my own abomination of a child. The next day I told him everything. He didn't even know exactly who he was, but he was thrilled. I could see he realised the purpose of his existence. I told him that meant we couldn't be together. It would be wrong, incestuous, and our twisted love would result in children because of what I was. My rejection angered him. He killed me, even though he loved me. I guess he found the next Gea to fulfill what I refused, but he won't get her either." Frigg had a murderous look in her eyes.

"I think you're a special woman Frigg, but I don't believe he did all this just so he could marry you," Jeremy deducted. "He told Lea that all he wants is a family, but there's got to be more to it. He isn't just a broody vampire."

"And I think I know what he has planned, some of it at least," Stefan exclaimed. "When he tortured me he kept blabbing about his great mission. I actually think he talked more than I did," he snickered. "Arawn has gotten it into his head that he should lead this vampire army, tried to recruit me while torturing me. I think he wants to act out the genocide his mother had planned for him. He wants to kill all humans."

"That's just stupid," Damon sneered. "Every lion knows not to kill all the buffaloes for breakfast, then there'll be nothing left to eat for dinner."

"Did you just compare humans with cows?" Elena asked.

"Well, you are very heifer eyed Elena. There so big and brown," he jested and simulated massive sad eyes.

"Damon has a point," Stefan agreed.

Elena slapped her boyfriend accusingly.

"Not the heifer-eyed thing," he quickly added although Elena did not look like she was about to forgive him. "It's suicide to wage war on the humans. If he kills them all he won't survive."

"You survive on animal blood," Caroline reminded him.

"Yeah, but you know as well as I do that animals are a poor substitute for the real thing."

"I say we kill him. I can live without having to analyze the intentions of every damn Original we meet," Damon stated coldly.

"That requires a weapon that can actually kill him," Bonnie argued and looked to Frigg. "How are we supposed to kill Arawn?"

The Gea shook her head to tell them she didn't have an answer. "I wish I could tell you what to do, but his mother is blocking me. She doesn't want me to know how to get rid of him." Her voice sounded bitter. "I'll try to break her, but I doubt I'll succeed."

"Then we hit the books again," Jeremy announced and turned to Bonnie. "Would you mind doing some research with me?"

"No of course not," she smiled, winking her eyes much more than she need to.

"We can get back to normal then, for now?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, and don't worry about Arawn. He won't dare come close to me again after last night. I may not be able to end him, but I can surely make him suffer," Frigg promised with her lips pursed.

"What about Lea?" Damon said, not at all satisfied that the whole ghost-in-Lea's-body-thing couldn't be solved here and now.

"There's nothing you can do but wait for her to battle through her confusion," Frigg shrugged. "In the meantime I should like to what else the future has to offer, before I return to the eternal sleep."

...

Frigg didn't get to enjoy the future quite as much as she had hoped. Although Frigg was the dominating personality she often got tired and couldn't control a variation of other prior Geas messing with Lea's head. Lea's schizophrenia was getting to them. Damon had nearly killed Lea when this very cheery clingy Gea surfaced who thought Damon was "one hot goblet of nectar." Then she had shamelessly climbed onto his lap and told him he would look stunning with golden blond hair, perhaps a matching beard with braids and that he could plough her field any time.

In response he simply rose from the chair making her fall to the floor and then he halfway ran from the room trying to douse a certain urge to hurt. Frigg had regained control soon after and unknowingly made it worse when she confused had tried to call Damon back with the phrase "come, tell mamma what's wrong."

The real Lea didn't seem to be able to break through, or else she didn't want to, because her body continued to be a circus with different acts all day. The day passed by as multiple personalities borrowed Lea, not all of them as agreeable as Frigg. Damon resented the horny ones the most, because they wouldn't take no for an answer. Some other day he would probably have taken advantage of the situation, but he couldn't stand their sordid words on Lea's tongue. The only benefit was getting to watch Elena and Bonnie growing perplexed when other Geas turned attention on to Stefan or Jeremy. His brother was in a forgiving mood, dealing with the Geas without even one furrow on his brow. Even when a Gea started dragging in piles of dirt from the garden to _make the house more homy_, Stefan took on the task of explaining why she couldn't just do that. Elena and Bonnie had long since evacuated to the kitchen, discussing , magical protection during pregnancies. The olive-skinned girl seemed at peace with her condition and had already suggested a name for a boy. Both Damon, Stefan and Jeremy had vetoed her suggestion with one voice. No way in hell would they let a family member suffer the name of Amadeus. Jeremy took off for a couple of hours to visit a friend who knew a lot about vampire history, hoping he could help them. The girls suspected that he left because he hated waiting and doing very little as Lea struggled inside herself. So typical for men. They can slaughter each other but are lost when they are faced with a woman's craze.

Damon tried to remain out of sight but the Geas were especially attracted to him for some reason and he did not enjoy the repeated hide and seek. When Lea had snuck up on him for the second time he dragged her halfway to the basement before the objecting shouts was replaced with Frigg's stern demand that he let go and that she would try harder to control the other Geas. Reluctantly he released her and Stefan took her to the gardens, whilst chatting about hippie meditation bogus that could help her focus.

Only moments later two startled screams came from the kitchen. The sun had just descended below the horizon as a pair of eyes peeked through the kitchen window, accompanied by a creepy scraping on the glass. Bonnie quickly directed her painful embolism spell at Mara's hideous face and Elena opened the door clutching a stake she intended to use. As she raised it, Stefan came running and shouted: "No stop!" and Elena's hand stopped midair. Instead of countering Mara had lied down by her feet like a dog and watched them both frightfully. Stefan walked over to them and after hesitating briefly he patted Mara on the head. The wretched female purred under his touch.

"Stefan good," she said, attempting a grateful smile, but to Elena it looked like the vampire was choking on something.

"How did you know she wouldn't hurt me?" Elena asked and failed in keeping a bit of blame out of her voice. She wanted mostly to let the stake continue its course, but lowered it instead.

"Because I spared her life back when we were with Arawn."

"Honor among murderers," Elena mumbled wryly and watched with disgust as Mara worshipped Stefan's leg. "How did she even survive?"

"I don't know, but it would be stupid to send her back."

"Wouldn't it be more stupid to let her stay? She might be spying for Arawn?"

Stefan crouched till he came eye to eye with Mara. "Are you spying for Arawn?"

The female looked horrified. "No, no, Arawn want to kill Mara. Stefan good. Stefan save Mara."

"Invite her in, Elena."

"What!? No way!"

Damon appeared in the door, attracted by their conversation. "No Stefan! You can't keep the puppy," he imitated Elena's voice. Elena sent him a scorching glare.

"We have enough on our hands with an unbalanced Gea. No more lunatics," Elena rejected. Mara looked hurt but didn't speak. She only moved closer to Stefan.

"Come on Elena," Damon spoke, "how can you resist those ugly little eyes? Who's a good Mara? Who's a good Mara?" The female watched him warily but didn't seem to understand that he was making fun of her. Arawn and Shedu wasn't exactly humorous personalities. When he kept smiling at her like she was a puppy she crawled over to him and started touching his leg too. Damon just grinned. "Look how cute she is."

Elena wasn't convinced. Cute wasn't exactly the word one would use to describe Mara.

"Do you trust me?" Stefan said, an argument that had never failed to convince her.

"Of course I do."

"Then let her in."

"Okay," she huffed, not eager to comply. "Mara please come in."

Jeremy had returned to the house and nearly fired the stake-gun Alaric left him when Mara entered the living room. "What is she doing here?"

"Beats me," Elena glowered and scooted the chair as far away from Mara as possible.

"You let her in without asking why she came?" Jeremy gaped sending his sister a look of contempt.

"She's not here on Arawn's behalf," Stefan said and Mara shook her head to show her good will.

"Then why are you here?"

The female poked her lips like she was trying to wring words from them. In the dim light of the room, she resembled a mummified corpse with flickering eyes. "Arawn make Mara dead with words. Stefan show... mercy." The last word sounded clumsy, like she wasn't sure it was quite right.

Elena glanced to Stefan, who was nodding and encouraging Mara to go on.

"Mara serve Stefan now."

"Serve him?" Jeremy frowned. "You can't stay in the same house as my sister. You tried to kill her, remember?" The questioned was aimed at Stefan. In one impressive jump Mara reached Elena hand began petting her hand submissively.

"Skinny girl is Stefan's friend. So Mara's friend too."

Elena pulled away her hand, feeling a growing desire to stake the female. And if Stefan wouldn't help her, Damon surely would.

Frigg entered the living room but stopped in her tracks when she noticed the newcomer. "Mara? Is that you?" The Gea asked, squinting. Mara tipped her head like a bird. Last time she had met the blond girl was in the Hall of Mirrors, but it wasn't the young Antumn she remembered.

Frigg could feel her confusion. "I look different now, but so do you. You're a vampire?" The Gea's voice was sad.

Mara was trying hard to recall the memory she connected with Frigg's voice. When she suddenly realized who was addressing her, Mara threw herself on the floor, crumbling and mumbling incoherent apologies. "Sadness, forgiving Mara did only her Mistress command."

"I see you have suffered plenty for your sins, Mara." Frigg eyed the female's appearance with shock. "What is done, is done. You are surrounded by good people in this room, serve them from now on."

Mara tried to brush Frigg's legs in an attempt to make amends and show her gratitude. "Mara will serve."

"You know her?" Elena asked.

"Last time I saw her she was human and came to ask me for my blood because the family she served was smitten by a plague. It was a lie constructed by a woman named Esther, who wished to curse her own family to become vampires."

"Oh we know Esther very well," Bonnie snorted. Mara made herself very small, at the sound of the Original mother's name and covered her face in her hands.

"But she merely followed orders," Frigg mused and placed a reconiliatory hand on Mara's head.

"Then she can stay here," Stefan concluded. "She might even know some things about Arawn that can be helpful."

Mara started making a curious happy-dance, that mostly reminded them of a monkey trying to avoid getting bitten by ants.

Damon had been silently enjoying the show and couldn't help but joking. "Fine, Stefan. But she's your responsibility. You feed her, walk her and there will be no peeing on the carpet." Frigg nodded pleased and left them again, to continue whatever she was doing in the gardens. Elena's was far from happy and Jeremy wasn't pleased either. Only because Mara promised not to stray from Stefan's side, did they accept the arrangement.

"But she is not sleeping in our room," Elena stated and marched out.

Damon felt slightly uplifted by the chaos Mara had brought into the house. It was a nice distraction from his own need to get Lea back. When he realized Frigg was currently alone in the garden he saw his window of opportunity to ask her a few questions.

"How long before we can get the real Lea back? I need to talk to her," Damon announced as he found Frigg sitting on a small hill.

"I don't know. When she feels ready. She has been taking control two times today although only for a moment."

"She has?" He was upset that he hadn't noticed. "When?"

"When she gets emotional," Frigg spoke non-commitally and closed her eyes to feel the wind.

"Emotional? I thought she needed to gain control, not lose it?"

"We are closest to ourselves in moments of passion. It emphasizes a sense of self that control never can."

"So if we shocked her real good she would come out of hiding?"

"Probably, but in order for her to stay longer than a minute it would have to really appall her; Shake her to her very core."

"I bet seeing me naked could do the trick," he humored.

"It's worth a shot," Frigg grinned back. "It might not be a completely foolish suggestion."

He eyed her with surprise and a smirk. "Really?"

"She's very fond of you Damon. If anyone can encourage her to fight through the confusion it's you."

"Right," he replied with dry sarcasm.

"You don't believe me?"

"Lea and I have reached a state of acceptance towards each other. I wouldn't go as far as to say she's fond of me."

Frigg smiled knowingly. "If you're not that close, then why are you so eager to get her back to her body?"

"I have questions for her."

"Questions that I am surely much more qualified to answer, only you don't trust me like you trust her."

"She is a bad liar, that's all. It makes it easy to get the answers I want." He rolled his blue eyes at her suggestive winking.

"Some of your questions I have little chance of knowing the answer to, but there is one particular that you know I can help you with."

"Fair enough. Why is my heart beating?"

"Wrong question. The why only Lea can tell you. The how is more in line with what I can share. Arawn needed to force her to use her powers. All he did during the ritual would have been to get her in contact with that link she is supposed to discover later in life. When she took your life and gave it back it opened the connection to Nature and all of its power was given to her as she broke the laws of life and death to maintain balance. Take a life to make a life. She took it and she restored it. When she brought you back it shifted something inside you. You're still a vampire Damon, but you are something more now."

"What?"

"I don't know. This is unprecedented. As I said, the ritual is not necessary for a Gea to get her powers normally. But Arawn can't make dead babies with her before she has her powers and she wouldn't get her power until she got pregnant the old fashioned way with a human. Have you tried to experiment? Are you stronger? Faster?"

"I don't know. Are you volunteering for such an experiment?" he asked, not minding a chance to punish her a bit.

"I am sure Lea will help you all she can to find out. When I am gone you can get back to... accepting each other."

"You sound sure she will overpower you."

"She will. She is strong. We could help her on the way though."

"How?" he frowned, as always a little suspiciuos.

"Kiss me," she smiled.

"You wish!" No way was he kissing a ghost wearing Lea like a meat suit.

"You wanted to shock her back, right? I think a kiss might be her cure."

"If you want to snuggle me, you could just say so," he replied coolly.

Frigg's features remained neutral. Damon thought of Lea's reaction the last time he tried it. _Yeah it would definitely shock her if I tried that again_, he mused but hesitated. They had only just agreed to be friends and Damon wasn't keen on ruining that. He was also very aware that it was Frigg and not Lea he would be kissing and that wasn't an appealing idea. The old hag could just be messing with him.

As he sat weighing the pros and cons Frigg leaned over and grabbed his chin. "Too slow, bloodsucker," she grinned at his stunned expression and then smacked her lips onto his.

Damon was taken aback by her move and although the contours of her lips felt familiar it was definitely not Lea controlling them. The kiss was hard and emtionless. He wanted to pull away, but then the kiss shifted and became soft and warm. Damon didn't like Lea. It wasn't really an option liking her and his instinct rarely involved liking people in the first place. But he couldn't deny that the return of the real Lea in the green eyes was a very welcome and sorely missed homecoming. She had been willing to kill herself before hurting him and that was act of loyalty Damon rarely experienced. It made him want to thank her and so he invoked all that into the kiss they were sharing.

Lea winked her eyes, suddenly present in her body, suddenly feeling the overwhelming sensation of a Damon kiss. All the madness in her was silenced. There was no force or voices attempting to strangle her. There was peace.

Her lips gave in, unable to obey her reasoning. Such blissful quiet filled her mind as she leaned towards him, like one would lean from a shaded spot to catch the sun. His hands drew her closer still, and she was robbed of all thoughts. There was only clarity. Their lips found each other over and over, tasting the sweetness of unlikely attraction and she forgot how damaged they both were or maybe she finally embraced it.

When they broke the kiss and realized what they had done it took a while for them to react. Damon's eyes turned defensively cold and he cocked his head like he was waiting for her to strike him again. Lea tried to remember why she had turned him away the first time they found themselves in this situation but all she could think of was how Damon had managed to free her from the chaos inside herself. When she concentrated she could still hear the Geas, still feel the power flowing through her, but the dominant voice was her own, and it was panting and pointing out how swollen and soft his lips were at the moment. How could a kiss bring such clarity?

"Why did you kiss me?" she wondered and he seemed surprised that her tone was so gentle.

"I didn't kiss you. Frigg kissed me."

It took a second for the information to sink in then her mild expression changed dramatically. "She did what?! Are to two just exploiting my body for your own sick games?" She tore to free herself from the embarrassing hug they were positioned in, that she had obviously misinterpreted_. Scumbag vampire!_

Damon held her tight without much effort. "She did it because she knew kissing me would shock you back to your old self."

"That's ludicrous. Why should your kiss magically wake me? It's not like I'm Sleeping Beauty," she spat and ignored the fact that she had actually been thinking about just that only moments ago. Damn, why of all people, should he be the cure when I get the crazies?

Damon smiled his cocky smile. "Because you like me."

Lea's features turned incredulous. She had stopped fighting him and they were still sitting nose to nose with each other. "I still think it's just a poor excuse to exploit someone who is currently magically impaired. You wanted to get into my pants from the moment you met me."

"More like into your veins, but trust me I'm like that with all the girls." He licked his incisor demonstratively.

"You are incurably vulgar," she spoke harshly but couldn't help smiling slightly. The whole situation was kind of comical. He noticed her smile.

"You didn't seem to mind me kissing you though."

"You weren't exactly pushing me away either." Her eyes gleamed with green fire and she could feel the fine dark hair on his arms where her fingers had ended up. Damon didn't deny anything but simply lowered his chin, looking at her with a predatory stare. Perhaps he had expected her to leave because he jerked when she decided to give a damn about complicated jesting conversations and planted another kiss on his mouth. When she shifted between his lower and upper lip he sat very still, considering a course of action.

Then he yanked her backwards down on the grass and responded with an equal measure of fervor.

Damon was amazed, but fully devoted to feeling her feisty form sending his heart beat into a violent gallop. It was a marvelous painful pleasure, so deep and demanding. She wasn't entirely wrong. He did want her, and she wanted him.

"I am disappointed to see that your period of mourning is over so soon," a man's voice spoke to them and Damon felt Lea freeze under his touch. Damon was not pleased with the interruption. Slowly Lea sat up, tense as a bowstring. A young vampire stepped towards them, combing a hand through his bristle red blond hair. His straight posture told Damon that the vampire was from another era, like Stefan and himself. Damon immediatly disliked him.

He almost growled at the intruder. "A friend of yours, Lea?"

"Jasper.." she breathed.

"Har du savnet mig?" the vampire asked in Danish.

"You're a vampire?" Lea gasped when she recognized the fangs.

Damon tried holding her back as she rose, but she waved him off. Jasper waited for her to reach him with a dignified glare at Damon.

Lea studied her ex-boyfriend in disbelief. Then she pounded him right on the nose.

* * *

**Yeah, I know - queen of cliffhangers ;-) I may not give you frequent chapters, but they are getting long :)Feel free to leave a comment with a question, if this chapter left you confused.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry guys, but I just couldn't help myself, because Jasper simply insisted on jumping into the story. Since TVD loves to bring back people from the characters' pasts I had to get him to Mystic Falls.**

**Soundtrack: Meeting Laura, movie music from The Perfume, a story of a murderer.**

**Just a warning, this is were the M ranking kicks in.**

* * *

"I thought you were dead you lying snake," Lea yelled and beat him continuously.

"Don't be that way," Jasper warned and took a hold of her wrists till she whimpered in pain.

Damon tackled him like a lion, so they both landed on the ground.

"Do you want me to kill him?" Damon asked, pinning Jasper down easily. He wasn't quite sure why he even asked her opinion, because he really felt like killing the guy.

"Yes please," Lea scoffed and Damon smiled menacingly.

"As you wish."

"Wait! Lea I can sense you finally found out about your abilities," Jasper called.

"Damon stop!" She held up a hand and walked closer. "You knew what I was the entire time?"

"Of course. That's why I left. As this poor bastard has probably discovered," he motioned Damon with his head, "you have an unfortunate tendency to humanize vampires, heart beat and all."

Lea looked like he had struck her on the side of the head. It was enough of a shock to actually see him again, but hearing things like that come out of his mouth... She had enough to deal with right now, there wasn't room for any more problems, but she couldn't help feeling the cold sting of betrayal. Why didn't he ever tell her this?

"Did you even love me?" she asked, tears threatening to overflow. She did not want to cry over him. There had been quite enough tears on his account.

"I did love you, otherwise I would never have proposed to you." His face was sincere, but Lea didn't know how to read him anymore. He couldn't say anything to ease the broken heart he left her with and she just wanted him gone.

"How can I trust anything you say, Jasper? Were you a vampire all along?"

"Think about it Lea, did we ever see each other during the day?"

Her silence was his answer.

"I'm more interested in why you are here," Damon smirked smoothly and squeezed Jasper's neck a little harder. Lea didn't object to the treatment.

The vampire coughed. "I'm here for you, Lea."

"Liar."

"Okay, with the risk of enraging your newest admirer here," he ignored the pressure on his throat, "I was wrong to leave you."

"Yes,you were!"

"I got spooked, because every time you came near me my dead heart started pumping and I hated that. I was born to be a vampire. You were making me weak. But I do love you and if you can control those powers we can be together."

Lea saw Damon jerk his head in her direction, most likely to gauge her reaction. Relief washed over his features when he saw her transparent fury.

"Be together? You broke my heart and worse you were too much of a coward to tell it to my face."

"But I am not too cowardly to admit I made a mistake. And really Lea, what are you doing with this guy?" Lea wasn't sure how Jasper dared say things like that, with Damon hovering over him and clearly fighting hard not to submit to the impulse of tearing off his head. "I didn't know gothic alcoholics were your type," he snickered and waved Damon's scotch breath away from his nose.

"I think any type but lying gingers would be better for her," Damon replied coolly. "You're probably not even here for her forgiveness. I bet Arawn send you."

"Wow! Who's Arawn?" Jasper gave them an utterly confused stare. When Lea exchanged a look with Damon, Jasper added, "What have you gotten yourself into, skat*?"

"You don't get to call me skat anymore. Get out of here! I don't want to ever see you again!"

"You wan't me to let him go?" Damon questioned. She could tell there were many other things he would rather do to Jasper. Somehow it was a great comfort to her to see him enraged on her behalf. But Jasper didn't hold any power over her anymore. He was insignificant.

"He is already dead to me anyway. This encounter hasn't changed anything. He is just some ghost of a man I used to know. Let him go." Then she began walking away, not even awarding her lying ex one glance.

"She might not care if you live or die, but if I see you around here again I won't hesitate to kill you," Damon threatened with a silky calm voice and tightened his grip a little before finally letting go and getting up to follow her.

"You don't know her. I do. I can sway her affection, and you won't get to fuck her no matter how much you pretend to care for her." Jasper's brown eyes had a possessive glint that required Damon to muster a whole lot of self-control to respect Lea's wish.

"That will be hard for you, considering you won't get within 300 feet of her. Now go before I decide to end you anyway."

In a flash Jasper disappeared and Damon followed the sound the vampire's feet until he was sure he was far gone. It was amusing that the guy thought he still had any control over Lea's feelings after all he had done. However, Jasper had upset Lea greatly, Damon could tell by the way she walked and that was far from amusing. She was so passionate. Even though Damon knew this was not the time he wanted to incite that passion. He wanted to kiss her again.

She made it into the house and stormed past the others, up the stairs. Damon followed her quickly and when they reached the bedrooms he guided her into his.

"That... that.. ERR, I don't know enough bad words to describe him," Lea hissed and walked mindlessly around the room. Damon had no claim on her, but he was still strangely pleased with her reaction. Without thinking he went to put her arms around her, more an act meant to stabilize her than provide comfort. But Lea pulled away.

"Please, Damon! Do you have any idea how confused I am right now? My ex, who burned my heart to the ground, just turned up and he's a vampire. He taught me not to trust men and seeing him just leaves me so numb." She knocked on her chest. "And then there're these troubling, overwhelming emotions and I have no clue whether they're from kissing you or if it's this power inside me who seems to have a will of its own and every time I try to think there are these whispersinside me, commenting. I am not my own person anymore," she hyperventilated while spilling all her tribulations in rapid succession,and paced back and forth. "I am being chased by a millennia old vampire who's in love with a ghost that has possessed my body and I have been trapped by my mind for hours and then you come with your kissing and touching and.."

He rolled his eyes and caught her hand pulling her close. "If you're trying to make sense of all of this, you might as well give up," he said without even a hint of sympathy. Lea didn't need someone to pamper her hysteria. Besides, her agitation gave her a wild appearance that was very distracting and Damon wanted nothing more than to free her mind completely of Jasper and Frigg and Arawn.

"There's no way to make any sense of this?" she asked thoughtfully and gasped for air to calm herself.

"It's a mad world Lea," he shrugged. "The key is to swim with the current and wait for the opportune moment to strike. Or make the best of where the river takes you."

"That's awfully philosophical of you," she smiled and finally realized how near he was. She knew that it was a rare thing for him to speak like that.

"I have my moments."

"Yes, you do."

"So? What do you want do about all this?"

She looked into his blue eyes and swore she could still feel how his lips had grazed her in the garden. Slowly her breathing became normal. Damon watched her with such confrontational vigor it focused her completely and to her surprise, what she really wanted to do, was kiss him again. But she couldn't. He was a bad egg,a bad egg who was trying to help her though. In fact it appeared as if the Damon she had met in the parking lot was a different creature than the one in front of her, challenging her to collect her broken mind. He didn't seem so ruthless. Damon had always been intense, but now this intensity was aimed at her, not her blood and it gave him the appeal of a crusader on a holy mission. There still was nothing noble about his intentions, however, and she knew it. It was pure selfishness that shined through. She recognized the gleam of greed in his eyes and was oddly happy that it was directed at her.

In spite of his desire to claim her he waited for her decision.

_When did this happen_? She felt like she had been asleep and woken up to find that the world had been turned upside down. Greed was not love, but being aware of this, she accepted it and she reciprocated. This was simple. This she could handle.

Though she had been silent for a while Damon didn't speak or move. His question was in his eyes, fixated on his target. Like the first time they met, he wanted her, but in a completely different way.

"See where the river takes me, huh?" she said and caressed his prominent cheekbones with her gaze in a manner that let him know he was not the only wild thing in the room.

Suddenly the woman before Damon was no longer a befuddled wreck but a proud seductive being with a clear purpose. "I do know what I want to do," she whispered unashamed into his ear and placing her cheek against his.

She could tell by his clenched jar that he could hardly restrain himself. "What?"

When she moved so he could see her face again she had grown severe. Lea allowed herself to drink the sight of him, his fine black eyelashes and the pale silvery skin. The square shape of his face and the rough outline of nose and brow could have been carved from stone, but the alluring lips had the texture of ocean waves at dawn. He was handsome as a devil, and he knew it. Lea leaned up and lingered close to his lips and Damon watched her expectantly.

Before she could prolong the pleasure he leaned the rest of the way and crushed his lips against hers. From quiet tense anticipation they turned to a hurricane of arms and legs and bodies. Damon wrapped his arms around her and bent her backwards like he couldn't get close enough and Lea trapped him with one leg around his waist. Just as she had hoped the blessed clarity spread through her body along with a heat she could barely contain. Only his cool skin seemed to keep her from bursting into flame. The kiss deepened and she bit his lip with hungry passion until he opened his mouth and let her in. It was wet and warm and eager.

She turned and forced him down on the floor, landing on top. Even if the Geas inside her did speak_,_ she did not notice, but the power flowing through her was an earthquake rumbling to break through. Her hands removed his shirt with a forceful rip that sent buttons flying. Damon looked at her in surprise but then smiled wickedly when he saw her famished expression.

_So damn handsome_, she thought letting her hands roam over his muscular upper body and bending down to shower his chest with kisses. _Why did we not do this sooner_? As she brushed over his small dark nipples, he groaned and tried to stop her but she pushed his hands aside and repeated the act. She had caught him between his natural need to control and the excruciating pleasure of her mouth, and his tightened biceps were unable to decide whether he wanted more of this or if he should tip her over and take charge. Lea wanted all of him, to consume and possess, just for the duration of the evening. She had to restrain herself not to bite him hard as she worked her way down to the black stripe of hair starting at the edge of his pants. With steady hands she opened the zipper and started pulling them off him. As soon as he was liberated she paused and enjoyed the view. Damon grinned wolfishly and allowed it.

Damon had not expected her to be this demanding. Katherine had treated him similarly, but Lea had a tenderness that the vampire doppelgänger did not. Every touch was like the crack of a whip followed closely by cloudlike soothing softness and he could not get enough.

When she let down her dress, exposing the nudity underneath, it was blinding as a glacier in sunlight. He watched how the light of the lonely lamp penetrated the fine tiny blond down on her skin giving her a golden aura. The chill in the room made goose bumps bloom on her and to his sharp vampire eyes they were crystals growing like grass on the earth. How was it that Lea opened him to this kind of sight, to the wonder that existed in all women, but only she made him see? Standing so bravely in front of him, her beauty stretched and expanded the world he thought he knew. It was a sensation utterly unknown to him and it fueled a desire thicker than darkness. He wanted to ravish her but the thrilling anticipation of what she would do next paralyzed him, a first for Damon Salvatore.

Lea's youthful figure was curved like a woman but smooth as a girl. Thighs and arms were molded by hard manual work. It awoke an idea in him of fighting her, trying to tame her. Although with her kind of spirit he knew he never could.

Lea gestured for him to stand and he rose, catching her lips as he did. They fell into an embrace, both desperate to succumb to the gravity pulling them to collision. They tumbled towards the bed, Damon landing heavily on top and his square hands grasped her, teased and caressed her, while she yanked his hair and moaned for him to go on and on and on. His tongue brushed over her paleness. It tasted of oyster's pearl and forestry. Damon felt her simmer under his lips, carrying her higher. When she could hardly bear it any longer she flung her arms around him and rolled them over. Their arousal united as she lowered herself down on him, taking him in. It was a delightful perfect fit, like they were shaped to coincide. Damon sat with his legs over the edge and his chest rubbing against her breasts when she moved up and down - gasping - whimpering and clinging to him. Damon moved with her, locking his eyes with hers letting his fingers stroke symbols of ardor on her skin. Wave upon wave her pleasure mounted and each thrust caused her to claw the muscles of his back.

"Divine," he breathed and swallowed the vision of her naked bouncing breasts, flushed face, frizzy hair and he felt every bit the hungry animal he was. She twisted her hips making him arch his back and throw his head backwards. With her hand she forced him to look at her and attacked his mouth with an avaricious kiss.

"Devilish," she whispered back. A layer of glistening moist steamed from their bodies and she rode him into crumbling ecstasy until she came with a long shattering shout, falling apart around him like glass being splintered.

Damon gritted his teeth against the pleasurable pressure building up within his groin and brain, but he wasn't ready to surrender to his release. He wasn't satisfied yet. Lea was completely relaxed after her climax and didn't fight him when he turned her around on the muddled sheets.

"I'm not done with you yet," he croaked coaxing her mouth open with his tongue. This was not a woman that required him to hold back. The fortitude emanating from her promised him that she could handle his kind of love; rough and relentless. Damon went to the place where he was free of moral and restraint, tormenting her by squeezing her pink nipples and sucking them, driving her crazy. He was still so painfully hard inside her, the slightest move was met with hot wetness and he gave up teasing her with his mouth, only to draw screams of exaltation from her throat as he thrust into her savagely. In response she pushed her hips against him and bit his jaw impishly. It made him lose all the control he had planned on using against her and he clenched his buttocks plunging even harder into her heat with unremitting force.

The world dissolved around them until there was nothing left but flesh and bone and the epicenter where they joined and the mutual fire in their eyes. It was crazy, erotic dirty sex. They almost tore each other apart like it wasn't enough to be so intimately linked. They craved blood and breath too. Damon feasted on every note of contentment that sprung from her lips. Like the beat of a drum they hammered towards the peak, declaring war on emptiness, getting drunk and high on touch, smell, sound. The raging consorting culminated when Lea tensed again, unable to contain the marvelous sensation of his motion, and this time Damon let himself go too, all the energy of their act bursting from him like clouds heavy with rain.

...

Lea lay on the bed fast asleep and Damon watched her chest rise and fall in a rhythm so dull compared to what it had been an hour ago. He sat in a chair by the window, only wearing his boxers and a severe expression on his face. Becoming a vampire definitely had a positive effect on sex, but with his human-like heart beat it had transcended above and beyond. It had not been his intention to sleep with her, but now that he had, it was hard for him to accept how satisfied she made him. Damon had changed his mind about Lea so many times over the last weeks that it wasn't exactly a shock to him that she was now resting in his bed. She had been a prey, a curiosity, a beauty, a temptation, a nuisance, an outright catastrophe and now... What was she to him now?

He had long since extinquished the light, but the moon projected its metallic color onto her legs and hair not covered by the cotton sheets. Her face and form were appealing. More than appealing. She was strong and confident, traits that always commanded respect in Damon. She was in for a hell of a ride, discovering what she was capable of as a Gea and he didn't mind being her go-to-guy when she was in need of some outlet for her frustrations. The thought made him smirk.

What Jasper had done to Lea reminded him of Katherine's deception and he couldn't blame her for rejecting him the first time they kissed. Damon didn't mind taking advantage of her emotional state after her ex-boyfriend's upsetting appearance, though. Besides it felt like she had been taking advantage of him too, something he did _definitely _not blame her for. He closed his eyes and recalled their passionate moment. Lea's lips, Lea's earlobe, Lea's knees and toes and navel.

He would do pretty much anything to feel them all again. Damon rose and went to her side, realizing that he didn't have to wait. Greedily he slid his palm, fingers spread like a fan, over her sleeping shape. It wasn't enough for him to do this once. He would seduce her again and again. Arawn would never get to be with her, nor would jasper. Lea's body was his new conquered land and he was willing to shed blood to keep her.

It wasn't a rare thing for Damon to kill, or feel a need to protect, but Lea caused him to hunger, a famine matching that of his blood lust and at the same time she made him feel sated. This strange girl that he really didn't know made him... content. An emotion that he did not often experience.

Lea stirred. "Are you still awake?" She rubbed her nose and yawned. "I should probably get back to my own room." His hand still rested on her stomach and it didn't move. "Or I could stay?"

"If you do I cannot answer for the consequences," he groaned and slid a finger along the border between skin and sheet.

"I'll take my chances," she giggled groggy and lifted the fabric to him. "Are you coming to bed then?"

As a reply he slipped down beside her and shaped his body to fit hers.

...

Mara didn't care how explicitly the skinny girl had forbidden her to enter Stefan's bedroom. She had found a nice dark spot on the top of a huge closet where she could see and not be seen. It was a bit crammed but that never bothered Mara. She had the flexibility of a cat and could fit in the smallest of places. It was calming watching master Stefan sleep and since Mara never slept it was a fine way to pass time.

Leaving Arawn and Shedu hadn't been easy. Mara had dug herself free and even though master Arawn had been nowhere in sight she knew he had survived. Her first instinct was to make her way back to the mountain palace, but then she realized Arawn probably believed her to be dead. Since he ordered Stefan to finish her off she had been bitter, to say the least. She had been nothing but loyal the last 1000 years and now it was rewarded with indifference. But Stefan was strong and merciful. He would appreciate her devotion. It was true she had much to be thankful for when it came to master Arawn. He had saved her from a fate worse than death.

_Mara did not like tricking the beautiful Gea. She was sweet and treated Mara with respect. Yet Esther's command had been clear; get the green blood. At least she knew that her lies would help Niklaus. He never looked her way and why would he? She was just a child and a servant at that. Mara admired him from afar and did him small favors like bringing him the first forest strawberries or singing for him like she knew he enjoyed. _

_Esther had spoken with diligence about this magic that would save her family and Mara had listened. The rank of servant had been imprinted on her since birth and she tended to the family with unwavering devotion. When Esther performed the curse it had been Mara's job to clean the containers that had held the blood potion. It was a terrifying experience, watching them drink the mixture and then kill themselves. She kissed Niklaus' face as he lay dead on the wooden floor. Mara had recieved strict orders to be in her room when the family awoke and so she had gathered the clay cups and left the bloodied scene behind. The following day she failed to fulfill __her duty to clean the last of the cursed blood, because of all the strange things that was happening to the newborn vampire family. It had been a violent transition but Mara saw how strong and fast her masters became. She wanted to join them and so she had gone to her room, licked the remainder of cursed blood of the cups and stabbed herself with a knife. _

_The next thing she remembered was pain, horrible pain. Without Esther's ritual to complete the vampire curse Mara got trapped between life and death, unable to go back to her human form or fully become a vampire. When Esther learned of her deed she chased Mara into the woods, warning her never to return, and called Mara a traitor. A traitor!_

_For years Mara had lived like an animal, murdering to get blood, but unable to switch off her conscience. She was immortal, but because she was in a stage of constant transition, she kept growing until her body was the distorted figure that would characterize her centuries to come. Also she endured the pain of her mortal wound every day, for even though it could not kill her, it also couldn't heal. It drove her to madness. Arawn had found her a decade later, praising her monstrous mind and flesh and he had liberated her by making her a full vampire._

Yes she had much to be thankful for and now she had master Stefan as well. A new master meant new rules and the skinny girl was eager to dictate them. Mara wouldn't listen to her. Skinny girl hated Mara, was disgusted by her, but Stefan looked at Mara like no other man had done before; with tenderness. It gave Mara the strongest happiness to please master Stefan and she wanted to please him in every way. The skinny girl pleased Stefan too with her pretty face and lips and Mara felt a dire need to please him in the same way.

An idea began forming in Mara's head. In exchange for Arawn's secrets the witch and the Gea would help her become pleasing in every sense of the word.

She watched Stefan and Elena as they woke up and commenced the ritual of moaning and jerking like the one Mara had practiced many times with Shedu. By the look on Stefan's face it made him very happy. Mara would remember this.

...

A sea of light filled the bedroom and breached the darkness of her eyelids, waking her up. She was all warm and relaxed, wrapped in the sheets, and her head was quiet. Blinking she realized she wasn't in her own room. The big four poster bed was standing very alone in the room and the empty bottle of bourbon reminded her where she was. It made her blush to think of what had brought her here. It was not because she was a shy woman, it was that she had enjoyed it far more than she should.

Sleeping with Damon had been wild and peaceful. She yawned contended. _It wouldn't be too bad waking up all soaked in him like this every morning. Wait, __stop right there_! She sat up straight and saw Damon wasn't there. _Oh no, I am not going down that road again. It was just him and me having a good time, nothing more._

Lea had always prided herself on being able to seperate sex and feelings, and she wouldn't start mixing them up now. It was just sex. _Mind blowing sex... No!_ She jumped out of the bed and scurried to find her clothes._ I've got to get out of here. This is just confusing me. He didn't even bother to stick around till I woke up_. Elena had told her enough about Damon to know that he had consumed almost as many women as liters of blood through the years, and although this made him a skilled lover, it also warned her, what kind of relationship they could have. _Relationship_. Damon was able to treat her with such gentleness, she had experienced it more than once and frankly a part of her longed for such a privilege to be permanent. She couldn't deny that things had changed between them after last night and she couldn't deny that she was very attracted to him. But she wasn't even near ready to start a new battle and that is what she pictured their relationship would be; An endless battle with only few moments of ceasefire. It hadn't been that way with Jasper. There had only been sweet words and sweet moments, all of which was a fat lie of course. With Damon at least she knew what she was getting and why she should avoid him.

She knew her reaction was bordering on cliché, if some of her friends from back home had been there they would have knocked her on the head and told her to just jump the handsome man again and again, exploiting his body. She had to admit the thought was tempting. But there was so much going on, like that maniac Original who wanted to rape her while plotting the demise of the human race.

Lea dressed herself quickly. She needed time to think and she was pretty sure they would end up humping each other if he walked in the room at this moment. Checking the hallway discretely she snuck out and headed for her room.

"Good you're up," Bonnie's voice greeted her and Lea froze. "I thought you were going to sleep the whole day away." The bland expression on the witch's face told Lea she hadn't seen her exit Damon's bedroom.

"The last couple of days have taken their toll on me, but I am finally back to being me," Lea smiled weakly and attempted a dignified combing of her hair.

"That's wonderful. Actually I need to talk to you about Mara."

"Mara?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know about her yet. She came here after the ritual. Arawn ordered Stefan to kill her, but he spared her life and apparently that was enough to make her switch sides. She's going to tell us all she knows about Arawn, but she has a price."

"If she's with us we shouldn't have to bargain with her for information," Lea replied, not really sure how she felt about the female running around the house. She was certain Elena would be uncomfortable with that situation as well.

"She has been living with Arawn for God knows how long. I'm guessing the word trust isn't a part of her vocabulary."

"Probably not. What does she want?"

"She came and asked me this morning if you and I could help her _grow right again_. With a little help from Stefan we translated that into a wish for us to make her as she would have looked if she hadn't had half a transformation to begin with."

"I bet there's a story there," Lea sighed, "but I'm too sleepy to hear it right now. What kind of information does she have to offer in return?"

"She said she knows what Arawn fears the most. The thing is, a spell like that would be very complicated. I had to reverse the effect of another curse to heal her, but you could use your powers and work around that, just make her grow into her body properly."

"I can do that?" Lea asked and felt how her groggy head was working against her. It was too early for things like this.

"Of course you can. I think it would be ideal for you to get started using your powers. Testing yourself."

"I suppose," Lea said hesitantly. She looked at her hands, not sure how she was going to channel all the power she could feel inside.

"Don't worry, I'll help you. Just go down and get something to eat and I will prepare everything." Bonnie smiled so reassuringly Lea's confidence sparked.

_Why the hell am I so insecure?_ Usually Lea was so collected and firm in her convictions. The invasive Gea schizophrenia probably unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.

...

"Damon you act like I don't have super hearing like yourself. I know full well what you two were doing last night."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Damon simpered and looked anything but innocent.

Stefan was preparing a late breakfast for him and Elena while trying to convince his brother that toying with Lea was a bad idea. "Do you really think this is the time for making whoopee? Lea is not really herself."

"Hypothetically if we were screwing, I'd say that you're just annoyed that for once it's you and not me being forced to burry your head in pillows to block out the sound."

That silenced Stefan. Damon was aware that his brother knew that it couldn't have been easy living with Stefan and Elena with Damon's inappropriate crush and for some idiotic reason Stefan felt like he owed his brother this one. "Fine. Hypothetically, try not to break her heart. We don't need a scorned woman turning on us because you can't keep your pants on."

"'Morning," Lea spoke loudly, avoiding eye contact and headed for the fridge.

Stefan sent Damon a stern look before departing with the breakfast he had prepared.

"Up already?" Damon asked her cheekily and sped to her side to blow her gently on the back of her neck.

"Yup."

"Are you feeling as hungry as I am?" he grinned as she was piling up food on the counter.

"Sure."

"It's so mature of you to ignore me like that," he said smoothly.

"I am not ignoring you, but I see no reason to.." she stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth in an asexual fashion and continued, "change anything. Let's just go on as before we had sex."

"The walls have ears in this house. Let's go outside and talk," he said. Damon did not mind her resistance. It was to be expected of someone with her level of intelligence and trust issues. In fact it made this morning all the better.

"Really, what does it matter if they hear us? With that super hearing, your brother probably had no difficulties figuring that we were fooling around last night." Her harsh tone amused him.

"Fooling around?"

"Yes, what else would you call it?"

"Fine, we were fooling around."

"Yes and it was no big deal, we both had some had some excess energy we needed to let out and we are both adults. But it was a one time thing." Lea's words were decisive but the slight shiver of her shoulders told him she was affected by him.

"So that is how you want to play this?" he grinned and she turned to face him.

"I am not trying to play at anything, It was amazing and we shouldn't repeat it. End of discussion."

"Are you sure you mean that?" He stepped close to her, looking down on her proud face that was colored by his shadow.

"We both know neither of us is equipped to start something that can get complicated."

"There's nothing complicated about," he stroked her arm with a finger "this."

Her eyes seemed to soften and the shivers increased. "Please Damon, it always ends in trouble with you."

"But you're the kind of woman who doesn't mind trouble. Am I right?"

"I have plenty of trouble already. Just cool it." She tried very hard to look dismissive before she grabbed the food she had collected and walked out with long steps.

Damon didn't follow her. It was tempting to just chase her, but he wanted to do this right. She thought she could deny him what was already his and it would be sheer delight to teach her how wrong she was. It had been a while since he had enjoyed the prospect of a hunt this much. This was not like his painful pointless adoration of Elena. This was like the cat playing with the mouse that still thought it had a chance to escape.

...

Mara was overlooking their every move with her usual scutinizing glare. Bonnie was happy she had persuaded Lea to perform the healing. A spell could be created for pretty much anything, but mending a vampire's body, torn by a curse, required something extraordinary and the witch argued it would take her quite a while to find the proper magic. Meanwhile it could only benefit Lea to practice her powers and this was exactly the sort of thing a Gea excelled in, growth.

Frigg appeared once or twice during the preparations, giving Bonnie instructions she could then pass on to Lea. Among other things, Lea was told to perform the healing outside with bare feet and Mara should be clean.

Bathing the wild female was an obstacle that Bonnie wasn't quite as eager to tend to. When Mara was told she had to shower she tried to bite the witch and run away. They chased her around the garden until Stefan with firm voice told her that it was a necessity and he would like her to go inside. He silently asked Bonnie if giving Mara, even a temporary day-walker-ring had been such a swell idea and she admitted she hadn't thought it through.

Elena forbade Stefan to help clean Mara and so Caroline, Lea and herself spend two very long hours in the bathroom. The house had been filled with the screams, shouts and crashes coming from the bathroom and even Stefan couldn't help laughing when the girls reemerged. They were drenched and looked like they had been trying to bathe a stray dog with a redundant fear of water. Mascara was running down their cheeks and both Elena and Lea had scratch marks all over.

Mara's appearance on the other hand had greatly improved, even though her body was still distorted and grotesque she didn't resemble something out of children's nightmare as much. The black messy tresses had been impossible to comb so Caroline had worked her magic with a pair of scissors giving the female a bobbed haircut.

In spite of the hardship Mara sent them her first smile, revealing a mouth overstuffed with both adult and milk teeth set in a shark like order.

Once the girls had cleaned themselves up a bit they took to the garden where Bonnie had finished with the preparations. Damon had been very quiet all day, lurking around like he had bad intentions, but most of them were too accostumed to it to take notice. Lea's pulse quickened every time she saw him and uninvited thoughts of nudity and hot grinding disturbed her. She was trying to focus on how she should help Mara and at least the preparations had distracted her somewhat.

"In principle you should be able to do this without any help," Bonnie explained and showing Lea the candles and long roll of gauze. "Frigg believed that it would help to focus if you did something practical while using your powers."

"I have no idea how I am going to make this work," Lea admitted. She had been slightly dreading this moment all day, because even though she felt the power inside her, she did not have any notion of control over them. In silent moments when she had imagined herself and Damon jumping each other, kissing with a total lack of constraint she actually felt like she could master the power, focusing it into a potency that could envelope them both. But performing miracles on ugly vampires wasn't as straight forward as feeling empowered through lust.

Bonnie sensed her hesitation and took both Mara and Lea's hands. "Mara with your permission, I would like to show Lea what made you like this."

The female nodded, but not without shooting worried glances at Stefan. Bonnie closed her eyes and mumbled a few incomprehensible words.

Images started flashing before Lea's eyes, images of an existence so primitive and pierced with agony that no being could get through it without breaking body and soul. She saw the visions of the murders and worthlessness that had haunted Mara all her life, but she couldn't cry for her. This was not sad. It was gruesome, and Lea knew she could never ever heal this person, because there weren't even pieces enough left to put the puzzle back together. But within her began a buzzing born from her outrage, one that filled her to the brim with indignant righteousness and gave her the certainty of a woman with purpose.

Lea snapped out of the vision and Bonnie backed away. Mara allowed Lea to start wrapping the gauze around all of her limbs with slow deliberate movements. It was done in silence and Lea continued till all but Mara's head was wrapped.

Frigg had been right. The physical act of covering every inch of the twisted body with fabric helped Lea to focus all her mental will on the task. She didn't know what she was doing exactly but she disconnected her brain that wanted to analyze the situation and for the first time she actually tried to listen to the voices plaguing her. The Geas sensed her will and united their intentions with hers, guiding her to see.

At first it was like crawling through a very narrow corridor of the mind, searching for a room where you could stand tall. Then, as she felt the earth below her feet, the sky upon her brow and the anchor that was her own heart, the corridor widened and Lea started to feel what she had felt during Arawn's ritual; a tangible connection to all things living. It was a web that she could grasp and more importantly, she could use it. Like summoning warriors to aid a besieged city Lea reached out, tapping into the life forces surrounding them and gifting them to Mara. Her hands finished the job of rolling the gauze all over Mara, the head now covered as well. Lea summoned the power of every cell in her body into one single command: _Grow_!

Elena stared worried at Damon, but his eyes did not leave Lea. To most of the spectators the whole event seemed very undramatic. It was just Lea frowning with her eyes closed firmly as her toes dug into the ground below. Mara actually looked silly, a skinny mummy frozen in an awkward pose. But Damon could see how Lea was practically incandescent with exertion, every fiber in her attuned to helping Mara. He knew the exact moment when the magic took hold and Lea exhaled relieved.

"Is it over?" Caroline asked when Lea's shoulders relaxed.

"Let's check," Bonnie replied cheerily and went to untie Mara. It wasn't a very pretty vampire that emerged from under the gauze. In fact Mara looked very much her usual self, but the difference was in the eyes. Clear blue eyes twinkled in her hideous face, like precious stones.

"Am I beautiful again?" The voice was no longer raspy or cold. It was light and hushed, like a catholic choir girl and did not at all fit the wretched lips. When no one answered her question she ran to a window to view her reflection and was met with the disappointing sight.

"I'm sorry," Lea muttered, feeling light-headed and Damon ran to support her. "I thought I was doing it right."

"You must have made a mistake," Mara sped to Lea and grabbed her arm, "do it again."

Damon stepped between them. He didn't want any bruises tainting his newest property. "She obviously fixed you, Mara. You speak like a normal person now. Perhaps you were just ugly to begin with."

Mara gave him a smoldering glare and then turned to Stefan. The younger Salvatore watched her with concern and what she interpreted as disgust, something her formerly so damaged mind had not been able to pick up on. Distraught she began crying. "Witch, you must be able to help me then?"

Bonnie shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry Mara, but if Lea can't undo the curse more than this, I have little chance of doing any better."

"Impossible," Mara whispered, her beautiful voice stinging their hearts. "It was not supposed to go like this."

Lea reached out to comfort her, but Mara cringed away.

"No healing, no information," she hissed desperately and took off in vampire speed towards the forest.

"Great work," Jeremy snorted. "You made her sane, gave her a daylight ring, and then upset her."

"It's not their fault," Stefan defended the girls. "Damon and I will find her and bring her back."

Both Damon and Elena huffed disgruntled.

"I don't understand," Lea persisted, "I felt her change. I know I did. It was incredible, so why does she still look like that?"

"Don't worry Lea. Powers don't always obey, but you'll get the hang of it," Bonnie promised.

"But I was so sure I did get the hang of it. It was like uncorking a champagne," Lea explained, but wasn't quite pleased with the accuracy of the metaphor. "I feel it all now, the steady song of the stones, the dancing of leaves on the trees."

Caroline looked at her like she was unsure whether Lea was being poetic or nutty. She decided on the first as she remembered how her own transformation had felt like she had lived her entire life under water not truly hearing or seeing or smelling. Lea was currently going through the same thing. The girls stayed with Lea, listening to her tell of the wonders of transforming, while Stefan and Damon ran after Mara.

After a few hours of searching the brothers returned empty handed. It made them all wonder if Mara had only played them to rid herself of the crumbling pain and Elena wasn't too proud to air her initial concerns. Jeremy was still irritated that an important informer had gotten away, especially as his own sources were getting him nowhere.

Lea was more occupied with the amazing senses that were unfolding to her, which made her wander around the house and garden just taking it all in. Not even Damon's presence could distract her from her discoveries. Damon studied her, not entirely pleased with being side bared, but allowed her the time to adjust. The slow manner in which she moved made her look hypnotized, like she was seeing things no one else could. She spent half an hour just staring at the running tap water until Elena interrupted by announcing that dinner was ready.

After a chicken and rice dinner they gathered in the living room again for one of their strategy meetings. Lea thought that they had an awful lot of those lately, but the situation just kept on getting more complicated. While they waited for Caroline to come Lea sat in a chair with Damon towering behind her. She was tired of all the impressions bombarding her of late and happy just sitting with a full belly and a cup of coffee.

"Do you guys ever have normal days, or is this mayhem the standard?" she smiled, thinking that they had a lot of time to devote to her, Arawn and Mara. "Do you even have jobs?"

"Well Elena is taking some time to try to write a novel, she wants to be this great writer or something, so she works when she wants to. Me and Stefan, we're vampires. Vampires don't work. We party, we drink, we fornicate." As Damon said the last word he placed a gentle thumb on the back of her neck. No one else noticed but delightful chills ran down Lea's spine as he stroked it softly. It held a promise of another night in his bed and Lea had to concentrate not to just turn around and kiss him.

"I have an apprenticeship with an elder witch," Bonnie chipped in. "She's brilliant, but a bit.. flighty. She tends to take off without saying a word and be gone for weeks. I haven't seen her since last month."

"In Mystic Falls that's usually a bad thing," Damon said.

"She always comes back," Bonnie shrugged.

"Don't you miss your regular lives?" Lea wondered. "I know I would give anything to be safely back to my uneventful studies in Denmark, complaining about my work load and the weather."

"Really?" Damon asked and stopped stroking her. Lea blushed.

"I think this is regular for us now," Bonnie replied. "You get so integrated with the supernatural that it sort of becomes normal. I love being a witch, but sometimes I wish I could go to the supermarket without thinking about all the food that I could use in magical potions."

"And Stefan and I try to have normal boyfriend and girlfriend days, but we always end up having to deal with some new vampire problem," Elena added and looked exhausted.

"I guess I should get used to stuff like that too," Lea said.

"It's not so bad," Stefan promised and took Elena's hand. "We sometimes have to stand up to conceited Originals or try to prevent Damon from opening a tomb or two," he winked friendly at his brother who smirked in return, "but we find time to be happy too."

"And what about vampires who plans genocide?" Lea asked.

"We can handle anything," Damon shrugged casually and leaned closer to her. "It's all about attitude. I get out of bed, drink some blood, make a little love. Put a smile on my face as we stake yet another vampire who thinks he can kill people in Mystic Falls and then for whatever time there's left we do the normal boring stuff."

She smiled at him and Stefan rolled his eyes. Damon will be Damon.

"I think she wanted to know if we have a plan, Damon," Stefan sighed.

"I don't plan. I scheme," he responded and harvested yet another smile from Lea.

"Please don't encourage him, Lea," Bonnie said. "If just one of us laughs at his jokes, his head is gonna get so big it'll break his neck."

"Oh well, you know what they say, big head, big..." she tilted her head to let her eyes roam down a grinning Damon and the others gawked.

"I don't think they say that," Stefan chuckled, seeing his brother's animated expression. Bonnie was a tad less amused. "And we can't use my brother's big head against Arawn."

"True. But since your little girlfriend escaped we're back to scratch," Elena remarked pointedly.

"I didn't run so very far." They all turned, surprised to hear Mara's new voice again and stared at the strange woman standing by the door. The guys in particular scanned Mara's figure an extra time because there was nothing grotesque about her now. The black bobbed hair now framed a perfectly delicate face with sharp blue eyes and full lips. Shredded rags hanging around her thin shape barely concealed her nudity and her white skin was flawless. Vampire women usually looked like super models and Mara's hint of her former wildness gave her the charisma of danger and seduction so common for her race.

"Your transformation worked, Gea. It just took some time."

Lea was relieved and captivated at the same time. Mara was truly beautiful and she moved with an enchanting cat-like stillness.

"Thank you for your kindness to me. I am finally myself again." She walked over to Lea and curtsied. To a modern person the gesture made Mara seem ancient.

"You're welcome Mara. Just don't try to eat me again, okay?" Lea smiled warily.

"Of course, and I gave you a promise."

"To tell us about Arawn," Jeremy nodded.

"Yes. Arawn is not a fearful man. He even takes pleasure in testing his own limits for pain. All my time near him I have never seen him fearful, except one time. Shedu and he were talking about a vampire they both knew long ago. They called him the True Mate and from what I could gather he was married to a Gea, someone like you." She pointed to Lea. "That was before Arawn wanted a Gea and so he didn't really pay much attention to them. But as it were the Gea wanted to kill Arawn. He was not worried, until one day the True Mate found him and they fought. Arawn barely won, but he managed to strike down the True Mate and imprison him where the Gea would never find him. After that Arawn wanted answers. He was shocked that someone actually had the strength to harm him. Witches looked into him and saw that the True Consort of the Gea was the one creature that could kill him, but the imprisoned one had failed because he did not have the weapon; the bone of the mother, Arawn's mother."

...

The forest was far from the decadent elegance of the mountain palace and Jasper was not impressed by Arawn's new choice of headquarters. What was the benefit of mind compulsion and immortality if you spent life living like less than humans? Jasper did not need much to be satisfied, but a roof over his head constituted a minunum requirement. Quite a few of the vampires assembled there seemed to agree but suffered in silence. Arawn did not tolerate any complaints and Jasper was feeling increasingly annoyed he had been dragged away from his peaceful murdering in Europe to help this drama queen of an Original. Jasper didn't care about Arawn's fanatic mission and it was only the possibility of seeing Lea again that had made him accept the "invitation". More of a command really.

The dark haired Original was leaning against a rock and pealing a blood orange, seeping red juice all over his hand and he sucked his thumbs clean slowly. Jasper thought it a ridiculous attempt to appear dramatic. Yet he knew better than to piss off a guy like Arawn. Freaks like him shouldn't get to be so strong. Jasper wasn't afraid of him. He did know that one mistake could cost him his head but someone like Arawn just wanted to hear people agree with him. Easy peasy.

"So.." Arawn began with his deep voice. "Did you complete the assignment?"

"I did not need to."

Arawn arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Lea was not affected by that Frigg woman when I saw her. She didn't need me to shock her back as you thought. Someone already did the work."

"Really? Who?"

"This vampire guy, black hair, blue eyes," Jasper mumbled. Although Lea and he was definitely over, it wasn't exactly his idea of fun watching her smooch some emo dude. After all, she had belonged to him once. The little testosterone exchange with Lea's new crush was not something he had planned and it did bother him a little that the guy could act all smug when Jasper left and never put action behind words.

"Ah the Salvatore brother. How nice of him."

"Then I guess I'm not needed anymore," Jasper bowed and in his mind he was already planning how to get home.

"Oh did you think that all I needed from you was to restore her mind? Lea has already proven herself resistant to my charms. I need someone who knows her."

"With all due respect, I think she hates me too much to be manipulated by me."

"Hate can be a strong enforcer. You know what I am trying to accomplish, for the glory of our race."

Jasper had to bite his lip to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. He was very content with being a creature of the night. It sort of ruined the point of being a vampire if humans didn't rule the planet.

"I want you to convince dear Lea that our cause is justified in the eyes of Nature. Appeal to the side of her that is no longer human. Make her come to me."

"Arawn, I don't think.."

"That's right! You don't think, you act, for yourself and for your fellow vampires. Or you can choose to disappear forever."

Jasper knew full well that the last offer was that of death not of freedom, and he rather liked his life._ Damn those crusading Originals_! He did not need a vampire king, he just wanted to hunt alone. Arawn had finished pealing the fruit in his hands, but instead of eating it he squeezed it hardly, pressing every drop of the red juice out. The symbolic was not lost on Jasper, join or die.

"I will turn her to you... Master."

* * *

***Danish lover-****nickname meaning Treasure**

**You got some hot lemon here readers and I know I have readers who don't post reviews so please remember : Reviews are love and I am inspired by them. ;) Questions/suggestions?**

**A thanks to RRR222 and SomebodyWhoCares for reviewing so frequently :D**


	16. Chapter 16

Lea had not spent the night with Damon although she had been more than tempted to do so. After talking to Mara, she practically ran to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. The simple nearness of him brought naughty desires to life and Lea was very determined to withstand the urges. Of course he had followed her and barged right into the invisible wall Bonnie had created before they even knew Arawn existed. It had served a different purpose keeping Damon out at the time, but now she was sort of happy it was still active. One more lingering touch and she had been reduced to something soft and irrational.

He had watched her for a minute without speaking, obviously conflicted. He must have read the plea in her eyes, because instead of asking her to let him in, he smiled wickedly and mouthed a goodnight that seemed more of a promise than a goodbye. Even if he had left her to sleep alone she couldn't escape his company, because her dreams were full of endless forests and endless Damon. It was a strange thing being so weak and so strong at the same time. Damon was melting her and her powers were hardening her. It was a rush.

Mara seemed fully at ease with her new allegiance and had even spent the remainder of the evening asking Caroline how she could best help. When Caroline had told her about Lea's new powers and all she had been through, Mara took it upon herself to act as a bodyguard for the Gea. They had offered her a bed to sleep in, but Mara insisted she was perfectly fine on the rug outside Lea's room. Lea hadn't noticed until next morning when she almost fell flat on her face, tripping over Mara's relaxed body. The female vampire was still kind of creepy, but Lea decided to make the best of it, because as long as Mara was close to her Damon didn't get a chance to jump her. It took time for Mara to adjust to her new body and occasionally she returned to her crawling across the floor, which looked even more bizarre now, because she had the appearance of a woman, not an animal.

The previous night had been spent debating the new information Mara had revealed and the following morning the talk continued as soon as they were all up. Jeremy had asked Lea if she would mind letting them talk to Frigg again, because she might be able to tell them more about this True Consort. It wasn't pleasant leaving her newly requisitioned body again, but she allowed it. As always she remembered nothing of what Frigg had talked to the others about, but Caroline had quite willingly reenacted the conversation:

"Oahhh, Damon. I thought Lea was never going to let me out again. Come here you Big. Juciyyy .apple."

Damon winced when he heard the familiar voice of one of the particularly horny Geas and held up his hands defensively. "Don't!"

"Haha got you," Frigg laughed loudly and the others giggled under their breaths. "You should have seen your face. I would think a man of your nature would enjoy the attention."

Damon responded with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"I can't say I hate the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, now that Lea has so thoroughly regained control - nice job Damon," she winked at him, "but why exactly have you called me out again?"

"Mara gave us some new information yesterday, but we're not sure how to go about it," Jeremy spoke. "I was hoping you could help."

"Alright, tell me."

"She said Arawn can be killed by this True Consort guy with the bones of his mother."

"Arrg of course." Frigg flung Lea's arms up in the air. "I would never have thought of that."

"What?"

"The True Consort is not one particular person or race, it's a role of a sort, a title. It makes perfect sense."

"Care to share?" Damon bit impatiently.

"Yes, Mr. Salvatore. It's so basic I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it. We Geas are the ultimate protectors of Nature and living things, but we have our own protectors, our mates, or husbands as humans would say. The true Mate is connected to the Gea, but not because he is a special race or has certain abilities, but because they are a couple, lovers. It's the kind of primordial magic, like the Gea's powers or the simple bond between any mother and her child. A True Mate is supposed to safe keep the Gea while she is busy saving Nature and her children, and if she creates something that is a threat to herself, only he has the power to undo it."

"Of course," Bonnie exclaimed. Her knowledge of magic had increased greatly over the last years and this balanced perfectly with what she knew of the laws of nature.

"And why didn't you think of this sooner?" Damon questioned sharply.

"Because I never had need of a mate. I am capable of handling troubles myself and frankly I always thought it was a silly concept, although in this case I have to admit a man is a necessary tool."

"So any man can be the True Consort as long as he is the mate of a Gea?" Stefan mused and sent his brother a discrete look. When Frigg nodded he continued, "How exactly would a man become a True Mate?"

"A mating ritual."

"Oh no, not another ritual," Caroline sighed.

"Don't so dramatic. It's a very normal thing for two people to be wed, at least it was back in my time?" she sent them a questioning stare. "You know, where you ask the blessing of Gods like Freya or Odin to become man and wife?"

"A wedding!" Caroline beamed, suddenly much more drawn to the sentiment. "So Lea just has to get married? That's probably why that sleazebag Arawn wanted her too, if he became her mate no one could threaten him anymore!"

A mixture of emotions crossed Damon's face.

"She could do that," Jeremy agreed without the excitement that Caroline displayed. "And what about the bones of the mother then, the weapon?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's like with the Moon Stone. Arawn is a curse, who was conceived in a Gea's body, ergo the body or the bones is the key to take away the evil intention's that forged his immortality," Bonnie concluded and Frigg smiled acknowledging.

"Am I the only one getting a head ache?" Elena asked. She looked like she was fed up with revelations.

"Those bones must be dust by now. Not much of a weapon," Jeremy mumbled with his arms crossed.

"You are taking all this too literal. It wasn't the Gea's human body that was able to make Arawn, it was her power. That is why I felt it would be incestuous to be with him. In a way we are all his mother."

"So any Gea bones could work?"

"Yes, well, in theory at least."

"Right now theory is all we have to go on."

After Caroline had told Lea what had been said, Lea pursed her lips. She was not too keen on the marriage idea and Caroline had to muster all of her very poor diplomatic ability to keep Lea from running off. Elena had talked Lea down, saying that they didn't have to make any decisions now. It wasn't too hard to guess why Lea felt so strongly about the subject if you had any knowledge of her former fiancé and Elena had shared the story with most of the others. Jeremy reminded her that a marriage wasn't as binding as it had once been and she could just get a divorce right after they had dealt with Arawn. They didn't even make it to the discussion of who should play the role of husband before Lea announced that she could only deal with so much at a time and she would go get a bone from Frigg's skeleton instead of debating whether or not she should marry and then she stormed off. The other's agreed it would be wise to follow her, knowing how upsetting the period of transition could be and prepared to leave for the police station.

"Are you coming or what?" Caroline called and Elena shrugged when none of the boys answered. Lea already took off on her bike, having shouted a refusal at Damon when he offered to take her in his car. Elena had no idea what was going on between the two of them, but she felt a little bad for Damon because Lea seemed to run every time he came near her.

"Caroline, Elena, you should see this." Bonnie had an off-putting facial expression when she called them in and they soon learned why.

Mara didn't want to go to the police station as Lea had ordered her to be left alone and so Mara had sat down on the dining room table, washing herself. Now, they were pleased that she decided to maintain herself, but the manner in which she performed the task was what had paralyzed the boys. Mara was positioned in an impossible angle, currently cleaning her stretched shins by licking them with her oblong pink tongue. Stefan, Jeremy and Damon were captivated by the show and the girls couldn't help staring either. The vampire was flexible as a snake and even Elena, who excercised yoga daily would have difficulties licking the backside of her thigh like Mara now did.

Only when Mara glanced at Stefan with deliberate vulgarity did Elena's trance break. "Why are you guys watching her? And Mara, we don't wash ourselves in the dining room!"

Mara hissed at her when Elena tried to shoo her to the bathroom.

"I see the spell didn't help your manners," Elena hissed back.

"I'm a vampire, Skinny Girl, manners is a different concept to me. Who are you to judge me?"

"My name is Elena, not skinny girl, and you're in my house so you follow my rules."

"Actually Elena, it's still my house, although it's technically your signature on the deed," Damon reminded her. "And wow Mara! You're a freak." He smiled at her.

Mara sent him a graceful smile and flicked her hair elegantly.

"Yeah, you're really... bendy" Jeremy croaked and cleared his throat.

"Seriously Jeremy!?" Bonnie scoffed.

"What?" he asked and the witch's eyes widened when she realized she was acting like a jealous girlfriend. When he persisted in staring at her, she shook her head and tried backing away. "Hey don't," Jeremy said, his voice growing soft. "What was that? Do you .. still have feelings for me?"

Bonnie's eyes grew even larger, but she failed to reply.

"Maybe we should just go on ahead?" Caroline mumbled and dragged Elena and Stefan towards the door. "You come too, Mara."

Mara slipped down from the table and brushed the black mini dress she was wearing. It was more mini than dress and it was one of Elena's, that she only wore to parties. Elena had been less than eager to lend Mara some of her clothes, arguing that Mara was too tall, but when Stefan asked her whether she would rather have Mara walking around half naked in the shreds covering her, the decision had been easy.

They walked to the car to the sound of Bonnie's meek confessions.

...

Sean Walker was bent over a drawing of the dig site, measuring another shapeless spot of dirt one shade darker than the rest of the ground. The back of his neck was tanned by the many hours in the sun and Lea watched him as she turned off the bike and removed her helmet. The excavation looked so peaceful and normal even though it had acted as a stage for one of the most dramatic events in her life.

Lea couldn't resist just a peak. This holiday slash escape had turned into one wild detour from her ordinary life and she had the feeling she wouldn't be able to return to her old life. Even now new blasted changes confronted her and she chose to wipe the suggestion of marriage from her mind. What kind of life could she have now?_ Do Geas have normal jobs, normal lives?_

Archaeology had always been her passion and she had pictured spending all her days with her hands in the lovely dirt, searching for stories long forgotten. A story was the most mysterious and incredible invention she knew. It was fluent like water, and like the ocean its color always depended upon the eyes that saw. Lea loved how every object or clue she found could be the beginning of a new tale, containing the emotions shared by all humans; Fear, love, hunger, anguish and hope. It occurred to her that instead of uncovering history she was now in the middle of it, affecting it. If Arawn was as deluded as she suspected he could bring down all that she loved. The thought both scared her and made her smile. The winner of the war writes the memoirs._ Perhaps years from now, Arawn will be remembered as a hero_, she thought gloomily and pictured an earth free of human influence. It was an oddly peaceful scenery.

"Lea! I wasn't even sure I would see you again," Sean greeted her when he saw her.

Lea walked towards him, removing her leather gloves. "I know, sorry Sean. This job was just bad timing for me. Some other time I would have loved to see it through. Are the others really pissed I just dug out the skeleton and then bailed?"

He smiled at her, and the reddish beard looked like warm copper in the sun. "Oh don't think about that. How are you?"

"I'm okay," she said, hoping he didn't remember anything from their last encounter. "But I miss this. Have you discovered anything new?"

"Well from what I can gather it was just one house from around the end of the Viking period, probably 990 -1030 AD. It seems strange that there's only one house. Who would cross the Atlantic with so few people and why settle here?"

"Questions we'll most likely never be able to answer," Lea smirked, thinking of Frigg. Why had she settled here? It was titillating being so close to a prehistoric person and not be able to ask them direct questions.

Elena's car drove up to park at the edge of the town square and Damon got out, spotting her instantly.

"I'll be along in a minute," she called to him, not wanting him to come closer and signaled for them to go ahead.

"I don't think they can hear you from here," Sean said.

"The Salvatores have exceptional hearing. Do you think you can spare a minute to show me some of the objects you found?"

"Of course, Lea. This way."

She was glad to have a moment back in her professional life. If she was going to be spending the next weeks hunting a maniac vampire, stealing skeletons and .. mating, she wanted to cling to just the one second of normality that archaeology could provide.

Damon didn't feel like leaving Lea with the bearded admirer, but considering his prior actions towards the man he figured it wouldn't benefit him to run down and harass them. Besides Lea's face told him she was using Sean Walker as a human shield to avoid Damon as long as possible and he was willing to play along for now. Their conversation sounded harmless and they were in a public place. If he found out Sean had kissed her again he could always kill him when she wasn't around. Damon's idea of a possessive seduction did not include other men, but he knew things had changed since Sean last met her. For one thing Lea had spent a night with Damon and he was nothing if not confident in his own influence on women. He would conquer Lea again, regardless of some old archaeologist.

"Should I stay with Lea?" Mara wondered, but Damon shook his head. He didn't trust Mara enough to let her be alone with Lea just yet. It was fun watching her torture Elena though and Stefan was too thick to notice how Mara tried to gain his favor.

"She needs space," he concluded and started towards the police station. Once inside they headed for the office set aside for the archaeologists' more delicate findings. Caroline rushed off to see her mother and to make sure none of the deputies would think of checking what the young people were doing hanging out on the police station.

The room in which the bones rested was dark to shield the sensitive objects from the sun and Elena held on to Stefan, unable to navigate as easily with her human eyes.

"Do we take it all or just one of the bones?" Mara asked.

"Bonnie said one is enough, but one of the big ones that can be made into a stake," Stefan replied and picked up an upper arm.

"Shouldn't we kill Arawn with a more interesting piece of anatomy," Damon joked. "I could see the irony in finishing him with his mother's pelvic girdle."

"I'll be happy as long as he is dead," Elena remarked.

Mara walked around the skeleton with manic curiosity. "Arawn will not appreciate this," she smiled.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Elena questioned and sounded like she was hoping for a yes.

"No. I have known Arawn a long time. I'm fascinated with the fact that someone so sturdy can die from something so frail."

"We still need to get close to him," Stefan reminded her. "And I have felt how strong he is. It's not going to be easy."

He barely finished the sentence when a crowd of heavily shrouded and smoking figures barged in, knocking Elena and Stefan aside. Mara didn't hesitate to take on the first one that came within her reach and her new-old body made her stronger than most. The strangers were vampires, but they single-mindedly went for the bones on the desk, not caring much about Damon, Elena, Stefan or Mara.

Only when Mara broke the neck of one of them and Damon threw himself on another did they react and went for the kill. Stefan and Elena made it back on their feet, but they were critically outnumbered. Elena was sure that this would be the end for them and she was determined to go out fighting. She and Stefan charged the vampires swiping the bones into a sack.

Damon felt empowered. The more they came at him the stronger he his arms felt and he ripped through them like a scissor through fabric. They were too many for him so see Mara or Elena, who drowned in black clad bodies. Damon jumped to the window, tearing down the black drapes. The sharp sunlight hit the attackers like bullets from a gun and most of them starting smoking or bursting into flame. As if they didn't feel the pain, the vampires kept fighting until they were blazing, more charcoal than flesh and he had never seen anyone ignore the sword of the sun like that. He ducked and evaded every time a flaming fist pounded at him and Damon reached a speed that made the room blurry. Even though his reasoning told him that it was an impossible situation his body kept cheating death, working with energy beyond anything it had ever accomplished before. He felt great.

...

Lea was amazed holding the historical findings, pottery shards and all because every time she came in physical contact with them Frigg's memory was triggered, allowing Lea a rare glimpse of the past. She could have spent the entire day touching history, but she felt bad leaving the others to deal with the theft of Frigg's bones and so she reluctantly bid Sean goodbye and headed for the police station. As she passed by the temporary sheds erected for the shovels and coffee breaks, a hooded figure flashed up to her, dragging her into the shack with force.

"Get your hands off .. mpffm." A firm hand prevented her from yelling and she tried biting it and kicking the assailant.

"If you keep calm I'll let go," Jasper whispered harshly. "Promise you won't scream?"

She nodded outraged. When he let go she spun around and aimed her fist at his nose. This time, however, he caught it and gave it a hard warning squeeze. He was much bigger than her and even as a human he could have easily taken her, but Lea's new power made her cocky.

"Will you just stop hitting me for a second?"

"You deserve it! You're probably here to kidnap me."

"Don't be foolish. Believe it or not, I'm here to help you with your new powers." His brown eyes were so deceitfully warm.

"Really? Help me? Gee lucky me," she jeered and wanted very much to get just one good punch in.

"You don't have to like me, you don't even have to forgive me," he began and did not look like he cared about forgiveness.

"Good because I am not going to. Din store narrøv," she cursed in Danish.

"Fine, I'm a jerk, but you're not. You are a strong beautiful woman and I would hate to see you get hurt."

"Is this going somewhere or can I just flip you the bird and leave?"

"I love that sassy mouth on you, but I didn't come here to get naughty."

"Jasper, I am so glad that I met you today. Then I get the chance to tell you to get the hell out of my life," she delivered her anger with cool tranquility, not the least interested in what he had to say.

"Alright, fair enough. I'll say what I have to say and then I'll disappear. Okay?"

She didn't bother replying.

"I'm afraid that your friends are trying to give you a distorted image of what vampires are. Now that you're a Gea you need to see the truth."

"Oh I know you cheap brand of truth very well," she spat.

Jasper ignored the comment and went on. "They want you to believe that the vampire race goes against Nature's order, against what you are. But that is how humans view all things that can hurt them. It's natural that the herd gets thinned once in a while among all races. One species is not supposed to dominate all the others. Humans know this because they practice it themselves, keeping the populations of deer down in the forests because too many deers or beavers or whatever ruins the balance in an area."

She listened to him and without wanting to admit it she actually felt like his argument made sense.

Jasper continued with a false look of worry plastered on his face. "But the humans have killed or chased away the animals that were supposed to keep the human population in check. Wolves, bears and tigers are endangered animals and kept in small reserves or zoos. The vampires help control the human population. We are the last link in the food chain above the humans that hasn't been eradicated yet.

Humans have forgotten the time before prozac, before brick buildings protected them from weather and nature. They have forgotten what it means to be hungry to such a degree that they don't even notice how millions of their own kind starve every day. If a Gea had been alive the last thousand years, she would have stopped the destructive progress of humans long ago. They think they rank higher than any other form of life. They don't care that numerous animals die each day to provide food for humans, but if one of their own is murdered- as they call it, an unjust kill - then Hell has no fury. The death of a human is considered an injustice, something that isn't fair, as if they believe themselves to be beyond death. They have forgotten that they are a part of Nature. They try to banish death and aging as if death is not natural to them. Death is a part of Nature and I wanted to remind you that you are made for balance, not for the justification of mankind."

"You use these big pious words, but you are glorifying vampires... You do know Arawn, don't you?" She said with cool acid voice.

"He asked me to reason with you, yes, but I came because I care about you. And because I know you. You can't deny it. You care about others and you don't want to do the wrong thing. Humans are not the only species that counts for something on this planet and you know it." He reached for her shoulder, but she pulled away. She was angry that he was here, but she was even angrier because his speech had moved something inside her. Lea felt her second soul stirring. It was painful so she ignored it.

"I don't know what promises Arawn has given to get all of you to join him, but he doesn't care about the vampires of the world. This is a suicide mission for vampires. Have you even asked him what the plan is? Do you know that Arawn thinks he is destined to extinquish the human race? What do you think will happen if he achieves that?" She stepped forward with each question and Jasper had lost some of his calm stature. "He does not intend to elevate the vampires, and you are nothing but a tool to him."

Jasper's brow had grown furrowed but he didn't back away from her counter attack. "Lea, forget about Arawn. I am not saying this for his sake. It's true I am an animal, but I am an animal who loves you. And you won't be able to live with yourself if you don't make the humans remember who you are. Make them aware that they will ruin the earth if they don't stop all the crap they are doing right now. If you don't, you will have the death of more than just the humans on you conscience. That is if it's not too late already. Just think about it." He left before she could say another word, leaving only the small gust of a wind as he ran out into the sun and jumped into a car with toned windows.

Lea saw the car drive away through the open door, before she realised that five similar cars were parked awkwardly in front of the police station and a red glow was flickering along the windows of the first level._ It was a diversion,_ she simpered and ran to find Damon and the others.

...

Damon was cornered, but not beaten. He could take anything they threw at him and the bodies of several dead vampires already decorated the floor around him. Mara suddenly appeared beside him, her astounding flexibility letting her escape the most violent blows. Half the room was still in shadow and they fought towards Elena and Stefan. Burning bodies torched the walls and curtains until they were surrounded by orange flames. The vampires began retreating with their loot and Damon finally eyed Elena lying very pale on the floor. Stefan was still standing, but looked like he was running out of strength. Mara made one of her imposing leaps to aid him. A grim looking guy knocked Damon over but lost his heart before he got a chance to make another move. Damon threw the dead lump of meat away and got up.

The room slowly transformed to a chaos dressed in fire and blood and the ceiling cracked making it rain bricks and furniture from the floor above. Damon was hit hard by a desk and felt his skull fracture. The pain was numbing and he wasn't sure why he was still conscious.

"We have to get out of here," Caroline's voice shrieked somewhere nearby. She appeared through what remained of the door and made her way to Mara and Stefan. The whole building was collapsing and Damon could feel his skin starting to catch fire. It seethed, bubbled and stung like needles.

"Damon! Caroline! Where are you?" Lea shouted and Damon gave a damn about the flames eating of him and gathered the strength to push off the rubbles holding him down. The rest of the strangers fled the room or was busy burning up. He could feel his shoulders were broken and although the healing was already happening every move hurt him. Mara was supporting Stefan and Caroline swooshed to pick up Elena. "Come on Damon! It's going to fall down on us," she yelled.

"Stating the obvious," Damon growled and clenched his jaw as he made his way over a pile of bricks. They hauled Stefan and Elena through the hole that was once a tall door and found Lea in the hallway. The fire had spread to all corners of the police station and relief washed over her when she saw them.

"You're hurt." Lea ran to Damon and let him lean on her.

"I'm fine."

People were evacuating and they found the exit fast, coughing up smoke. Damon's precious leather jacket was burning. Lea took off hers to smother the flames and the group reached the safety of the sidewalk as firemen arrived and began organising the panic. Stefan could barely stand and Elena was still out.

"Can anyone see my mum?" Caroline asked and laid Elena on the ground.

"Liz was still helping people on the first floor last I saw her," a deputy croaked walking by. He had red exuding burns on his arms and his blond hair had been scorched. Everyone around them looked just as bad.

"Did she make it out?!" Caroline tossed her head to search the windows above for any sign and concentrated all her senses, but the fires were roaring and blinding. Sherrif Forbes was nowhere to be seen on the street either. "I have got to go in after her," Caroline whispered terrified.

"Don't let her, Mara. She won't come out again," Lea muttered to the vampire and Mara nodded. When Caroline moved to run back into the burning building, Mara quickly caught her and held her down.

"Let go! I need to save her!" Caroline shouted. Just then the top of the building crashed down with a loud thunder, sending an explosion of little embers up into the sky. Caroline crumbled at the sight, falling on her knees with Mara still braided around her. The blond vampire screamed, a long broken noise and her pretty face disintergrated, tears and desperation cutting into her features like scars. Had Mara not detained her, she had probably thrown herself on the pyre in sorrow.

Damon slowly recovered and edged himself closer to Stefan. "Lea, he needs blood." Stefan's eyes were now closed and there was very little to indicate that he was still alive.

"Here bite me," she ordered and Damon quickly sank his teeth into her wrist. Trying not to look at her own blood, she pressed the wrist against Stefan's lips and smeared it on his tongue. Several seconds passed without a reaction.

"Shit," Damon exclaimed and crawled to Elena. "She is bleeding down there." A large red spot drenched her jeans by the crouch.

"She's losing the baby," Lea gasped.

Damon bit himself as well and let his blood drip down on her lips. "Wake up Elena!"

The sound of his girlfriend's name made Stefan jerk and he started sucking on the arm Lea offered. His cheeks turned a little less white and he opened his eyes. Caroline was howling in the background, competing with the fire on who could shout more loudly and the whole scene made Lea want to cry. Stefan read her face and turned his head to see Elena, who was looking no more alive, inspite of Damon's attempt to heal her.

"No!" Stefan grunted and heaved himself towards her even though it cost him an immense effort. "No, 'Lena, no, no no." He sat up with difficulty pushing Damon aside and began performing CPR. "No you're not supposed to die. You're going to be a mother. We're having a baby." His face was wet with tears and Damon sat numbly watching his brother trying to kick start her heart. It was pointless. The heart beat was gone. Elena was gone.

"Bring her back!" Stefan shouted at Lea, but she knew she couldn't.

"It's not possible, Stefan."

"You brought back Damon, you can bring her back too!" He insisted, grabbing her arm and twisting it.

"I can't. I only had that power because I was transitioning. It's not something I can do whenever I want," she cried, wishing that it was lie and that she could simply lay hands on Elena and pull her back. All that power inside her felt so useless. It would never allow her to go against Nature.

"Try!"

"Let Lea go, brother," Damon mumbled and removed Stefan's hand clutching her arm. "Let's get Elena out of here."

Stefan finally relented, but threw himself over Elena's corpse shaking and mourning. Lea felt like committing murder. _Arawn_. She would kill him for this. He would die with shock written on his face when he realized she had managed to murder him. He had no idea what was coming for him.

The desire for vengeance soothed her and she collected herself enough to help Stefan and Damon discretely bring Elena's body to the car. None of them could bear letting the paramedics take her. They weren't ready. They would never be ready.

"I'm going to drive Stefan back to the house," Damon muttered and Lea hugged him.

"Okay. I am so sorry for all of this. I know she meant a lot to you," Lea said, not feeling like she had the right to be sad like the brothers or Caroline did.

Damon's eyes were shiny but he kept it together and allowed Lea's embrace to subdue his sorrow. "We will get him. Won't we Lea?"

"Yes, we will. We will make him regret he was ever born," Lea replied and clung to Damon like he was her anchor. "I promise you."

Damon pulled back and watched her sadly. He got in the car and avoided checking the rearview mirror because he knew he would see a pale Elena wrapped in Stefan's arms.

Lea stayed with Caroline, who couldn't take her eyes of the police station. She forced herself to look until the last flame had been put out and Lea and Mara sat with her, waiting. Mara was quiet but did not seem overly upset with what had happened. She had no attachment to the skinny girl or Caroline's mother. She had no recollection of losing a loved one or even having a loved one.

As soon as the fire had been extinguished Caroline rushed into the ruin, even though firemen shouted that it was dangerous. Lea and Mara snuck after her. In a pile of black rubbles Caroline found the only thing that remained of her mother, a brass Sherrif's badge on top of a dark figure of dust that flew away as soon as the wind cursed through the remnants of the building. Caroline fell forwards into the charred remains, apologizing repeatedly and driving her fingers through the black flakes. Lea ventured closer, laying her arms around Caroline's swaying body and holding her tight while the blond girl wept until there was no more tears and then she wept some more. All Lea could do was be there.

The entire town came to a halt, people gathering in the square. It was a small town and everybody knew someone who worked at the police station. Many of the people in detention had not made it out, caught behind bars until the fire killed them and a mother was screaming her anger and sorrow at a deputy because her 15-year-old son had been arrested for simple shoplifting and died in the fire.

Lea watched them all as Mara and her walked a sobbing Caroline out in the crowd. A handsome boy came running when he saw them.

"Caroline! What happened?"

"Matt. It's my mum," she cried and threw herself into his arms.

"Oh no."

"Matt is it?" Lea asked and he only now seemed to notice her. "You don't know me, but do you have a car?"

"Yeah," his voice was husky with emotion.

"Can you take Caroline to the Salvatore Boarding House? I don't think she ought to be alone right now and we don't have a car to drive her back in," Lea explained. He obviously knew Caroline well because she wouldn't let go of him.

"Of course."

Mara and Lea watched Matt and Caroline leave.

"I guess I know what you have been doing for Arawn the last thousand years," Lea spoke bitterly to the vampire.

Mara looked at her. "Yes. Now you know. Do you want me to leave Mystic Falls?" she asked with sadness in her voice.

"No, I want you to learn. This is a waste Mara and it is pointless and I hope you never help anyone commit this sort of crime again."

"I didn't do this," Mara mumbled.

"I know. But you have the potential to do things like this. Please show me you don't want to use that potential." Lea turned and walked to her motorbike.

...

The air of defeat blew through the house and Lea took charge while the others mourned. Bonnie and Jeremy had been so happy, holding hands and giggling when Stefan and Damon returned. Bonnie screamed and Jeremy had to lean against the wall. Stefan's face told Damon that their cries were cutting into him like he had to experience her die all over again.

Matt brought Caroline in and almost dropped her when he saw Elena. Lea ordered Mara to get Caroline into bed and she guided Stefan upstairs to place Elena's corpse in their room. She looked peaceful and Lea placed her hands over her belly and went to make sure there was lunch for anyone who still had an appetite.

She couldn't allow herself to grieve before everyone was taken care of. Mara followed her around like a shadow and did her small favors, like stir in the pots or get plates. With machine-like efficiency Lea kept herself busy, constantly thinking of new tasks for her hands. When the others had ate what little food they could get down, Lea proceeded to wash the dishes and getting flowers and candles for Elena's room. Matt lay in the living room chair like he hadn't a single bone left in his body and Jeremy and Stefan didn't stray from Elena's side, holding her hand and whispering of fond memories. Bonnie had cuddled up with Caroline and they were weeping quietly together.

Lea couldn't stop running around and fixing things that didn't matter, like a nail that was trying to escape a wooden beam or cleaning the carpet for a few bloodstains. Not until Damon came along and forced her hand away from its irascible cleaning, did she finally cry. Damon just let her cry without commenting.

"What are we going to do? They took the weapon," she sobbed.

"You can always donate a leg yourself," Mara tried joking. She was sitting close by, sticking to Lea, because she had seemed to be the only person able to keep it together, but now she was uncertain what to do.

"Run along Mara. Mother Earth and Father Fang are trying to have an adult conversation." Damon groaned.

"Who stuck an anti-humor stick up your ass?" Mara grumbled wryly.

"Come with me. We need to talk business," he said, ignoring Mara and got Lea on her feet. When they were outside he slammed the door, making sure Mara understood that they wanted to be left alone. He steered her into the garden, far from the house.

Damon wanted her to forget her petty aversion against marriage. This was no longer a matter of getting into her pants again. His family was hurting, Elena was dead, Liz too. Lea would accept his proposal and the arrangement would make Damon the only person able to murder the original Original. He hated the idea of a wedding even though it would allow him to posess Lea fully. But all he could think of was getting even, doing what he did best.

"We need to deal with Arawn."

"Yes," Lea agreed. She had stopped crying and had a cold expression on her face. "How did they even know we were going for the bones?"

"I don't know."

"I guess it doesn't matter, it won't change anything," she whispered.

"It's about time we go on the offence," Damon spoke and turned to face her. "And I will be the one killing Arawn." His eyes were beaming with resolve. "If the feline female is right, and we do need a True damn Consort, then I want to be it. You will marry me, even if I have to drag you down the aisle."

She didn't look shocked. Somehow it irritated him that she was able to predict his behaviour. "What makes you think you can get close enough to Arawn, even if I agree to this deal?" she asked.

"There is no deal Lea, this is how it's going to be. I am the strongest."

"But you're not as strong as Arawn."

Why did she always have to fight him? "When you ressurected me, you changed me. I am stronger and faster. I don't know what you made me, but a reborn vampire with a human heart has got to be able to compete with a guy who was born a vampire. Don't argue, just marry me."

"How romantic," she sighed sarcastically. "You couldn't even ask me nicely?"

"Lea!" he growled.

"Fine. I want to get Arawn just as much as you do, but you have to promise me something. Promise me that you are not pretending to be strong enough, just to get your revenge. Because if we do this, you can't fail. You have better bring your A-game Damon Salvatore." She moved close like she was challenging him. "Swear that you will kill him and you have youself a deal."

"Oh I swear I will."

...

Caroline was going through her bag looking for her phone. It had been ringing none stop and she just wanted to smash the damn thing so she could go back to crying. Bonnie sat watching her, but Caroline was glad she wasn't alone. Something strange met her fingertips and Caroline pulled it up into the light. It was the piece of neck bone they had taken when Bonnie needed a vision. She had completely forgotten about it. At least this meant that they could bring that son of bitch down. Although it was a minimal comfort at least Elena hadn't died i vain.

* * *

**Remember to review ;) Chapter 18 will be posted within two weeks, it depends on the betaing :) **


	17. Chapter 17

The night was chilly and the moon dark. Stepping from the black luxury car with leather interior and into the camp in the forest was like going from a spaceship into a gloomy prehistoric settlement. There were vampires everywhere he looked, and although Jasper was glad to be a creature of the night, he didn't feel the need to mingle with others of his kind. So many had joined them the last couple of nights and by every tree a group of vampires were talking or fighting. Many had adopted Arawn's new back to the roots attitude and the men were mostly bare-chested. The muffled sound of different languages added to the creepy atmosphere and there were harsh bloodthirsty eyes no matter where one looked. No fires had been lit, as none of the vampires needed warmth or light to see and Jasper was pleased that he only had to report their success before he could return to Mystic Falls. At least the small town had Tivo.

He nearly bumped into Shedu, not recognizing the vampire.

"Jasper, you're back."

"Yes."

"How goes the mission?" Shedu asked, not even looking at Jasper.

"I'm working on it. We stole the bones though and Peter is destroying them as we speak. I thought I would be reporting directly to Arawn?"

"Arawn is in Yellowstone, making preparations."

"Yellowstone?" he asked, but Shedu didn't seem like he wanted to add to the statement. "Okay, then I need to ask you something, before I return to Mystic Falls. I was talking to Lea, and she has many theories about what we're planning. She.. uhm.. believes that we are on a suicide mission to end all human life."

Shedu looked up and scanned their surroundings to see if anyone was listening. Then he pulled Jasper away from the camp. "Lea can speculate all she wants. You just keep working to get her in touch with her second soul."

"I am working on it, but it would be nice to know exactly what Arawn is planning to do. What is going to happen when Arawn has enough vampires? What will he do when he has Lea?"

"You shouldn't concern yourself with thoughts like that. All you need to know is that vampires will finally achieve their purpose and those loyal to Arawn will be taken care off. Now get back to Lea." Shedu turned from him, ending the conversation.

Jasper was far from happy with the lack of explanation. If there was something Arawn wasn't telling them it couldn't be good. It changed things. If Shedu refused to reject the idea of suicide then Jasper couldn't ignore it. He had to talk to some of the others. _I can't be the only vampire with a brain in this camp. Something is wrong._ He noticed a young woman sitting in a purple dress, looking very uncomfortable with the others and the forest. She was trying hard not to touch anything and kept turning her head like she was listening for spiders. Jasper smiled. _You don't need brains to disagree with Arawn'sidealism, he thought and headed her way._

...

Lea had fallen asleep with a cup of coffee in her hand and her head resting on the kitchen table. Her arrangement with Damon made her feel better but not enough to be able to rest. She had been walking back and forth between Elena and Stefan's room and the kitchen, unable to stand seeing her friend all stiff and cold, but feeling like she should be supporting Stefan. Finally, after 6 cups of decaf, fatigue had overwhelmed her and she had fallen asleep in her seat. Her dreams were full of fire and flames that she couldn't outrun and Elena dying over and over in the most terrible ways.

A loud scream woke her very suddenly and at first she though that it was the dying Elena in her dreams that had made the sound. Then she realized she was awake and that the scream came from the bedrooms. She tumbled off the chair and ran to see what was happening. Lea knocked her elbow against the door but in her dazed state, she didn't care.

"What the hell is going on?" Damon roared running past her and she almost bumped into him as he had stopped abruptly just inside Stefan and Elena's bedroom. Pushing past him Lea saw the unbelievable sight of Elena, looking very much alive. Elena was holding her mouth like it hurt horribly and when she smelled Jeremy, Bonnie and Lea she flashed into the far corner holding out a hand to stop them from approaching. The brown eyes turned black and a pair of fangs emerged from under her lip.

"She must have digested a small amount of your blood after all," Lea said to Damon and warily walked closer. She couldn't believe that Elena was a vampire, and although she didn't wish it upon anyone, it was amazing seeing the olive-skinned girl standing before them.

Stefan was also caught between joy and terror. He never wanted Elena to be a vampire and neither did Elena.

"No, please tell me I am not a.." Elena didn't finish the sentence because she knew full well that they couldn't give her the answer she wanted. "The baby!" Elena looked up to see their regretful faces and exhaled as if she was about to puke. "No! I would rather be dead," she cried, digging her fingers into her abdomen, whispering words as she had secretly done to the baby for the past two days. It was a heart breaking sight.

Stefan rushed to her side and cradled her in his embrace. "I know," he mumbled. "It was never meant to be this way. I should have protected you."

His familiar touch calmed her a bit, but the thought of her loss, both of the baby and her life made her tremble and sob.

Caroline had found her way too and she sped to Elena's side, joining them in their embrace. "You're back!"

"You need to feed," Damon smiled, happy to see that he had saved her. The fact that she was a vampire didn't bother him. She was alive after all, sort of, and it wasn't that big a deal that she now had fangs and drank blood. If it was good enough for him, Stefan and Caroline, it was good enough for her. Elena would make a fine vampire.

She sent him a look of misery, the idea of just not completing the transformation painted on her face. Then she noticed Jeremy who was fighting himself not to just charge her with a hug. She saw Bonnie smiling exalted and Stefan with the same amount of love in his eyes as he had always had for her. They were okay with her being a vampire, just as long as she was alive. _But her child, oh her child._

"Thank you, Damon," she whispered and he nodded back. "And it wasn't your fault Stefan. I always wanted to be with you. I guess now I can be with you forever." There was bitterness in her voice but Stefan kissed her gently and brushed away some of her agony.

Lea was smiling. Abomination or not, Elena wasn't gone and somehow it was appropriate that she and Stefan were now equals, able to spend forever together. It was a moment worthy of a party and a funeral at the same time. The baby was lost for good and the next weeks would be tough on Elena dealing with her new self and the grief of the miscarriage. Losing a child had to be one of the hardest trials life could bring. Lea suspected that Elena would be fine in time and time was something that she had plenty of now.

In the back of the room, Mara didn't know what to do with herself. Skinny girl was a vampire now, and Mara had rather hoped that she would just stay dead. That way Stefan would be much easier to please. She lurked out into the hallway, thinking hard on how she could gain his favor now.

...

The next days were far from happy. In spite of Elena's return, the tragedy of the fire still weighed heavily on them. Caroline's finding the neck bone had been somewhat of a relief, but it didn't make up for the bad stuff. Elena was emotional beyond any newborn vampire Damon and Stefan had ever come across and to be on the safe side, Stefan took her to the lake house or the forest most of the time. Losing the baby wasn't just hard on Elena. The hope and joy the news had brought Stefan were crushed and he had to focus completely on Elena just to be able to walk and talk. The couple withdrew into their own little bubble, unable to think about much besides surviving the pain. Getting to Arawn had a whole new meaning to them now. The Original had made it personal.

While Elena and Stefan had gone into self-inflicted isolation, Damon was also acting completely unapproachable. It wasn't his thing to soul-search and admit the reason for his bad mood, but the annoying little voice in his head told him, that he had been the one pulling down the curtains, setting the attacking vampires aflame and causing all the destruction that had resulted in Liz's death. Damon was rather skilled in ignoring this little voice though and he took his mourning out on the others. He gave Mara and Bonnie a hard time, and didn't even spare Caroline his stinging remarks. Caroline didn't take his bullshit and at one point they nearly got into a fight until Bonnie threatened to use her anachronism spell on them both. Fighting amongst themselves was the worst thing they could do. The witch was angrier with Damon than Caroline though, and blamed him for antagonizing a grieving daughter. As for Lea, she kept a low profile and as Damon was in no mood to stalk her, she could maintain a neutral quiet behavior. She spent some time with Caroline, letting the vampire talk and cry, but mostly she explored the garden, crawling through the bushes like a child playing hide and seek or climbing the trees. She felt like everything came to a hold, while the friends in their group battled with their losses and all she could do was to wait and start trying to grasp what her new powers meant.

Jeremy wasn't great at dealing with neither grief, nor Elena's changes and Lea found that he made an excellent person to be around without having to talk all the time. The hunter never tired of training and testing his weapons and they found a peaceful routine together in the garden, with Lea getting in touch with her inner Gea and Jeremy staying in shape. At times, she would ask him about a particular exercise or he would want to know more about her kind of species. It turned out to be very handy to have Jeremy around with his vast knowledge of creatures, acquired through the last couple of years. Besides his extensive list of methods to kill different types of supernatural threats, he also knew about their abilities and history. When Lea complained that she didn't know how to actually use her powers, he started a systematic trial, making her do all sorts of things that other creatures did to get control of their abilities. Some of the methods were more relevant than others or Lea quickly discovered that they made no difference at all, like the witches' way, with incantations and chants. Saying what she wanted to happen aloud felt silly and pointless. Touching the object she was trying to affect was more successful and she made a sad little Clematis flower bloom until it doubled in size. She also discovered that the grass grew taller when she brushed her fingers through it and when Bonnie came out, after having spent two hours talking to Caroline the lawn looked like a bad hair cut.

Because of all the death hanging over the house, Bonnie and Jeremy wouldn't allow themselves to feel in love again, although they wanted nothing more than to sit in the garden all day and smooch. Lea decided to give them some privacy and tiptoed off to her new favorite tree in the garden, an old crabapple. It was wonderful finally feeling an ounce of connection with her powers, but what she really wanted to learn was how to cause an earthquake. Bonnie had told her how Frigg conjured one that targeted the evil vampires at the ritual site and not the friends. Lea wanted to master this as soon as possible and used all the force of her sadness to try to make the ground stir just the slightest. She thought she made a leaf on the earth vibrate a tiny bit, but it could just as well have been the wind.

The memorial for Liz Forbes and the other victims was held Sunday and the entire town showed up. The News broadcasted the fire as a terrible accident, which made Caroline flip out and kick the television. She too wanted Arawn dead.

Elena didn't go to the memorial. She was struggling with her new blood thirst and didn't trust herself enough to surround herself with walking talking blood bags. When she had first fed, she had hesitated, once again considering just to die. Every time she thought of the baby she lost, it was like a stake through her heart and since all her emotions were heightened, so was her sorrow.

Lea had been worried about Elena's ability to handle the instinct to feed on humans and if her conscience could handle being such an animal. The few minutes of the weekend when Elena ventured back to the boarding house she seemed okay and even made a meek joke about vampire-sex being awesome. Damon left it to Stefan to educate Elena, but didn't mind pointing out that his younger brother's choice of diet was unnatural and that she would eventually crave the real thing.

Whereas Elena's troubles were almost invisible because she kept to herself, Caroline's distress filled the house and she broke down regularly crying or knocking things over. Lea and Bonnie took turns watching her, trying their best to offer her an ounce of comfort. The memorial didn't make it any better. It was more of a TV show, packed with people from the media and town's folk paying their respects. Eight people had died and Caroline was drowning among the other mourning families. The minister mentioned each of the victims briefly and with very little personal information. It didn't seem right for Liz Forbe's life to be summarized in three minutes and both Lea and Bonnie were indignant on Caroline's behalf. Caroline went from hysterical madness to zombie and left the cemetery in a slow sleepwalker pace, staring blindly ahead.

Damon and Lea walked back from the funeral together a few feet behind Caroline, Bonnie and Jeremy.

"You've been unusually quiet today," Lea said. "I could use one of your snarky jokes right about now."

"I'm not your humor jukebox, Lea," he bit.

"I didn't mean it like that." His testy mood had kept their conversation to a minimum the last days, but Lea found herself missing his sharp tongue.

"Look, just because you and I are getting married doesn't mean that we are getting _A_ marriage. Don't try to bond with me."

"I wasn't trying to. Do you think I _want _to marry you?"

Damon stopped to send her a wicked smirk. "Well..."

She studied him closely. His sudden mood swings were hardly unusual, but she had grown accustomed to not being the target. She stared at him for a while, before it hit her. "Were you close with Sheriff Forbes?"

"What? Why do you ask about that?"

"No reason," she said smiling discretely. Briefly she considered putting her hand in his, but she was pretty certain he would try to choke her if she did. Damon in a bad mood was not one to exercise self-control. Even though she knew him to be capable of anything, she wasn't scared. Besides, holding his hand would be like shooting herself in the foot. _No touching, remember?_

Lea reminded herself that most of the others had known Caroline's mother and that she should tread more carefully. It reminded her that this was not her home and that she knew very little of the people surrounding her or what had happened to them before she met them. Damon was probably the most mysterious of the bunch. Considering how much he opened his mouth you would think she would know more about him. She had come to terms with having to marry to bring Arawn down. It was just a mean to an end. Hopefully they wouldn't get more than a couple of days into the honeymoon before it would all be over. (Although she wouldn't mind consummating the marriage). _No Lea, bad Lea. People died, human kind in danger, absolutely wrong time for noticing his broad shoulders and.. And NO._

"Let's wait until tomorrow to tell them about our arrangement," Lea whispered so low only Damon could hear it. "I don't think Caroline can handle that kind of info today."

"Vampire Barbie will be fine," he shrugged. "People die all the time in this town."

"She lost her mother." _Another mood swin_g, she thought.

"It happens," he sneered and took off in vampire speed before she could reply.

"Where is he going?" Lea asked Bonnie.

"The Grill probably. He tends to go drink there when he's upset. Or happy. Or hunting. He drinks a lot."

"I'm actually tempted to join him," Caroline mumbled. "Anything to take my mind off things."

Lea caught up with them and put her arm around Caroline. "If that's what you need we can rob a liquor store on the way home? In Denmark we call the funeral wake for grave beer. It's a Viking thing, I think, drinking a lot when someone passes away."

"My kind of people." Caroline managed a smile. Bonnie wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea. Drinking never solved anyone's problems, but Caroline had made up her mind.

...

"Your best scotch, leave the bottle," Damon ordered as he threw himself on a vacant bar stool. The bartender nodded. He had heard that command a couple of times over the last two days and he had seen enough of the news to know what it was all about.

The amber liquid was rotated a few times before it disappeared down his throat and Damon poured himself another glass. Delightful numbness spread through his body and his eyelids grew heavy. Since the fire, he had been in an awful mood, both Elena and Liz in one day. At least Elena came back. It had effectively blocked his cravings for Lea for now, and the prospect of their arrangement didn't exactly light his fire. Luckily women were all about divorce these days, because he could not imagine being bound to one of them for the rest of eternity.

The only marriage Damon had ever witnessed up close was that of his father Guiseppe and his mother Mary. His mother had been kind and loving, while his father rarely, if ever, showed signs of affection. Damon knew that he would be the same way with Lea, and if there was one person he did not want to resemble, it was his father. The two things that made this whole deal bearable was getting to kill Arawn and completely owning Lea, for the duration of a week or so. He was certain that it was enough time to satisfy his need for her. A need that currently was blocked but was nowhere near gone.

"I see nothing has changed here," a thick British accent spoke and Damon rolled his eyes. He just couldn't catch a break.

"Klaus."

"Hallo mate, still attempting to drink this poor excuse for a pub dry?" The original hybrid asked with his usual blend of charm and intimidation.

"I'm so not in the mood to deal with your vampire-wolf personality disorder right now," Damon replied looking deep into his glass.

"How unfortunate, you have no choice."

"What do you want? Elena is still dead," Damon grunted and was silently gloating that it would have been a lie less than 48 hours ago.

"How's Caroline?"

"Don't expect me to believe that you came back for vampire Barbie. I mean she's an animal in the sack but she's a little easy for my taste," Damon jested, intentionally screwing with Klaus. One second later he got a reminder why that was a very foolish enterprise. The original snatched the knife for cutting limes from behind the bar and plundered the acidic steel into Damon's thigh. Damon grabbed the edge of the counter hard, but only moaned his pain quietly.

"Why is it, that to have a civil conversation with you I have to become a savage?" Klaus questioned and twisted the knife. "Now I heard you had a little fire in town this Friday…"

"Yeah, one heck of a party. Didn't you get the invite?" Damon said, grinding his teeth. "Or perhaps Arawn doesn't play with fake originals."

Klaus stiffened. His lion-like face was clouded by a feeling Damon couldn't decipher. "How do you know it's Arawn?"

Damon ignored the knife and leaned closer. "That is why you're really here, isn't it? The vampires around here are stirring and for once you're not the source of it." When Klaus only stared at him intensely Damon continued. "As always my brother and I find ourselves in the middle of the storm. Trust me when I say it is Arawn."

Klaus removed the knife as quickly as he had planted it. "You came to my brother some time ago and asked him about Arawn. Knowing your little band of instigators, I bet you already have some poor plan to get rid of him," Klaus smirked.

"What makes you think that?" Damon smirked back. He knew Klaus wanted something from him, and he relished in the power-play. Still he was irritated that Elijah had shared their conversation with his brother, although he supposed it was to be expected.

"Because you're always conspiring against honest hardworking Originals. I would have thought you had learned your lesson."

"And what is it to you?" Damon refilled his glass casually, but Klaus nicked it before he got to drink it.

"You and your friends have been little less than an inconvenience. Arawn presents a different level of bothersome. There can't very well be two kings on one throne and since you people were the reason I lost my doppelgänger you are going to help me dispose of him once and for all." His cheery tone of voice made it sound like a reward.

"Way ahead of you Klausy," Damon sighed. He knew that it would give them an edge working with Klaus, but who in their right minds wants to work with Klaus? The original hybrid looked strangely relieved, an expression that gave him a misleadingly gentle appearance. "I am curious by the way, you have been promoting yourself as the vamp of vamps, when all these years, you obviously knew there was someone out there older than you, how did you get away with that?"

"Not that it's any of your business," Klaus replied, looking very discontent, "but Arawn hasn't been all that eager to use his power the last thousand years. Apparently he has had a change of heart now. As you can imagine, I am not too keen on having him running around, mucking up my affairs so I look forward to hearing what scheme you and your brother are cooking up. Frankly I don't think you can be of any use to me, but you do have a knack for putting a spoke in another man's wheel and I figured you were applying that skill to Arawn these days."

"What makes you think we'll share the plan with you?" Damon smiled and took back his glass.

Klaus responded by hurling the knife into Damon's stomach and leaning in as if he was sharing a secret. "Because I'm such a delight, mate."

...

Lea wasn't sure who had the brilliant idea of getting drunk in the forest, but she was lying on her back with a flask of vodka in her hand and staring hypnotized at the treetops waltzing with the wind. Caroline had choked down sixteen beers and had been singing some sad lullaby with a slurred voice in honor of her mother. Bonnie had respectfully declined the invitation to join them, but Mara had taken the offer and her company was an odd fit. When Caroline had finished her beautiful sad song, Mara continued with another one. It had been a long time since Mara sang anything and some of the notes were off key, but Caroline started clapping with a smile on her face.

"It's wonderful Mara, keep going."

The words didn't sound English but it didn't matter if the translation was lost. It spoke of death and bravery.

"Nú er jódraugum ægis  
arnar flaug of hauga;  
hygg ek, at heimboð þiggi  
Hangagoðs af vangi."*

"To Liz," Lea toasted when Mara grew silent again and Caroline echoed it.

"So what about you Lea? Do you have a Danish contribution?" Mara asked. She was draped over a big branch in a tree, lazily swinging a bottle in her left hand.

"I'm a horrible singer. Next to you two I'll sound like a drowned cat."

"Who cares," Caroline flipped her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Just sing something."

"Nah. I don't like singing. But I'll translate you my favorite lullaby."

Both Mara and Caroline placed their heads in their hands and took another sip from their bottles.

"Alright here goes: In a moment there'll be silence. In a moment all will end. Did you do all you wanted to? Did you find your melody? In a moment we will be gone, perhaps we'll meet again."**

Caroline sniffled and dried her nose in her sleeve. "I like that one." She ran her fingers through her curls. "I hope I'll see my mum again, one way or the other. That actually makes this immortality thing worse, because at least if I was human I would join her when I died."

"There's plenty of ways to die even though you are immortal," Mara said, in a misguided attempt to offer consolation. "I could stake you, if that's what you want?"

Caroline just sighed sadly. "No thanks. I just need a monumental distraction from all this. In the past I would set out arranging some school event. I was the best at organizing those things."

"You could arrange Lea's wedding," Mara offered.

"Wedding?"

"Been eavesdropping, have we?" Lea sent Mara a stern look that made the vampire squirm and shift position, but Caroline's mind was already in motion.

"You decided who's going to be your husband, haven't you?" Caroline asked, happy to change the subject.

"Me and Damon made a deal, nothing romantic. We get hitched, he kills Arawn, we split up."

"But there'll be a wedding?" Caroline replied, bent on escaping all thoughts of the awful funeral they had just attended. She opened another beer and swayed as she put it to her mouth.

"Sure, starring Damon Salvatore as the groom," Mara licked her lips excited and chuckled.

Caroline looked concerned. "You are planning on divorcing him again right?"

"Of course!"

"Good, because Damon is the worst boyfriend in the world. You don't want to fall for him. Trust me."

"Talking from experience?"

"When Damon first came to town we hooked up. That is to say he manipulated me, fed off me, tried to kill me and used compulsion on me."

Lea frowned. She was a bit too drunk to be having this conversation, though she was hardly surprised. It sounded like the thing Damon would do, and instead she wondered why he hadn't done something similar to her. "It's just a way of getting to Arawn. To get him before he executes this terrible plan, and kills even more people."

"I am all for that," Caroline cheered gloomily. "So when are you going to do it?"

"As soon as possible and as simple as possible. I guess we can have it done tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh no you're not," Caroline spoke, sounding nearly offended. "It's going to be a real wedding, with food and a dress and everything. If you have to settle for Damon Salvatore, you are not settling for less than the perfect wedding."

"I love weddings," Mara cooed and the other two looked at her with their mouths open.

Caroline drank the rest of her beer, processing the statement. "Because they're full of tasty guests or..?"

"No, no, silly sad girl," Mara laughed, "It's the music and dancing."

Lea and Caroline both realized there was a lot they didn't know about Mara. For starters they had trouble picturing Mara liking anything, but the alcohol had made the vampire all relaxed and smiling her seductive lazy smile.

"When did you attend a wedding, Mara?"

"When I was a little girl. I was born into servitude, slavery, and sold when I was five years-old to mistress Esther." She told the story like it was a fond memory and Lea found it difficult to imagine all that Mara had been through. It was a good thing that they had helped her and all because of Saint Stefan's kindness. She quoted Damon unaware. "Before we travelled to the New World to escape the plague, there were weddings every summer in the village. The bride in her best gown and the flowers..." Mara trailed off, but then suddenly looked very sharp. "Silly sad girl is right. We must have a wedding!"

Caroline laughed loudly for the first time since the fire, over the tragi-comic deadly dangerous Mara, who adored weddings. It sounded liberating and Lea joined in. For a moment Mara seemed to be deciding whether to get angry or happy about their laughter. When Shedu or Arawn were laughing it was rarely a good thing, but the noises Gea and Silly Sad girl were making sounded nice.

"Okay Mara, we'll have a proper wedding, although I don't think the groom will appreciate it," Lea giggled.

"Screw Damon," Caroline barked and got on her feet, not without difficulty. "I will make you the bestest wedding a small budget and no time what so ever will allow." She winked at Lea, sadness still looming in her features and toasted. Mara had transformed from relaxed to exhilarated and was rocking back and forth like an aggravated monkey.

"Who shall be invited?" Mara shrieked, almost falling down from the tree in sheer joy.

Caroline mimicked an upper class lady. "You of course Mara. And.."

"Please keep it to a minimum," Lea begged. As this was more business than pleasure, she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. It was not like it was something she would want to remember all her life.

"Do I get an invite?" Klaus spoke cockily and stepped into view. They all froze, each with their own thoughts racing on about why he was there. The Original walked up to Caroline and gave her a peck on the forehead. The gesture seemed wrong, coming from a man who had harmed so many people she knew. Mara had recognized him instantly and waited for the others to make a move.

"Why are you here?" Caroline asked with a surprisingly loud voice.

"To see how my girl is doing."

"Your girl!?" Mara and Lea exclaimed with one voice and Klaus let his nonchalant eyes wander, without recognizing either of them.

"Will you to introduce me to your dashing friends?" he asked Caroline like a true gentleman, but before she could answer Mara jumped down the tree and she was looking pissed.

"Dashing?!"

Klaus casually smiled at the hotheaded Mara, and put an arm around Caroline's waist, as if she belonged to him. Lea figured he didn't even think enough of them to threaten them or what was even more plausible; he was putting on an act for Caroline. The two of them obviously had some history.

Mara, however, looked like she was about to explode. "You don't even recognize me do you?!"

"My apologies sweetheart," Klaus said, not sounding sorry at all.

"Of course not. Why would you? I only tended to you for seven years. You are one sorry bastard Niklaus Mikeal's son," Mara raged. "You could have had _thís_," she motioned her body aggressively, "but you have always been both blind and daft. I hope your manhood withers and falls off and you can be quite certain that you shall never enjoy the thrills of this piece of prominent ass." She spanked herself demonstratively and swung the liquor bottle, making the content spill all over. "Good day sir!" Mara huffed and then strolled away with her head held high.

"Am I supposed to know her?" Klaus asked looking very entertained. It wasn't everyday people addressed him like he was just another man.

"She had a crush on you a 1000 years ago, give or take," Lea said, amused that Mara had a little diva hidden underneath her servile devotion. Though the others had explicitly described Klaus character to her she found it difficult to be afraid of him after Mara's little performance. The fact that she was excessively drunk probably also had something to do with it. Most of the forest was spinning and he didn't look as imposing when distorted.

Caroline looked genuinely scared though. If Klaus found out that they had been lying about Elena's death not even his unwarranted attraction for her could save them. "Why are you really here Klaus? We haven't interfered with your hybrid-making for a long time."

"I can always find a reason to punish you, sweetheart, but this time I am here to talk. I am finding myself in need of new allies."

"Pff, more like minions. I bet he's feeling the pressure since Arawn started recruiting," Lea spoke, too drunk to consider her words in front of the Original. In the blink of an eye Klaus was by her side, towering over her.

"Let me put it like this, you will help me or I count you among my enemies." He turned to look at Caroline with a meaningful glare. "And you know what I do to my enemies, love."

Caroline ran to place herself between Klaus and Lea, shielding her only chance to revenge her mother. "If you want us to work together, you will have to stop threatening my friends. Especially this one."

"I don't think I have met her before. Made a new friend?"

"Yes, and you don't want to harm her."

"And why is that?"

Caroline peeked a Lea, knowing that the wrong word could make him snap Lea's neck, and another wrong word could make him snatch Lea away, stripping them of their advantage. "Because…" She stomped her foot frustrated and then quickly leaned up to place a kiss on his mouth. Klaus' eyes widened for a second, until he pulled her close and took full advantage of her rare willingness.

When they parted again he smiled cunningly. "You always were good at distractions, Caroline. Now let's take a walk back to the Mystic Falls command central and talk about why this new friend of yours is so important, yes?" He held out his arm in the direction of the Boarding house and Caroline took Lea's hand, leading her firmly. A strong pink color had spread over Caroline's face, but her cheap trick had done its job for now.

Lea stumbled after, feeling increasingly nauseous and not really able to deal with Klaus. It felt like she had been drinking poison, not vodka, and her body was rejecting it. Right now, she just wanted to find some coffee. _Does it never end? It's like living in Terrorist Town_, she thought.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you," Klaus chitchatted with Caroline as they walked. He continued to sound like he was from another century. Even his threats sounded polite with that accent.

"Not long enough," she mumbled.

"Come on, love, I know you don't hate me."

"Hate would be an understatement," she scoffed and picked up the pace. "And you can't just come here on a day like this and start demanding things."

"Why is today so special?" he asked wolfishly, but then he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Her mum was buried today," Lea aided, holding her troubled stomach.

Klaus got a sudden hint of regret on his face. "Losing family is hard."

"What do you know? You stab your own siblings. Don't pretend to care."

They reached the edge of the forest, and stepped into the garden behind the Boarding house. Lea was looking greener for every step, but Caroline and Klaus were too busy with their silent power struggle to notice.

Mara and Damon had already warned the others that Klaus was in town and they had gathered on the lawn outside the house.

"Will you look at that? The whole gang is here to greet me." Klaus smirked and then realized Elena was among them. "And my doppelgänger. I guess your death was not as permanent as I had thought."

Elena was barely keeping it together being near Jeremy and Bonnie and when Lea approached also, her eyes turned black. Stefan stood in front of her, with his arms crossed and she leaned against him, trying to focus on his scent. She had to admit that Lea smelled wonderful.

"Damon said you need our help. I suggest you just pretend like Elena isn't here," Stefan spoke.

"I don't have much use for her, when she's a vampire," Klaus dismissed, "and I get the feeling that it is you that need my help."

"We'll manage," Jeremy snorted.

"Sure you will. Arawn is only thousands of years older than me and according to Damon, you're planning on taking him on."

"So?"

"So, I want him dead. I can't afford to have you make an ill-fated attempt on his life."

"Then why have you come to us if you think we suck at scheming?" Caroline questioned him.

"Because you came to me, looking for a way to find him," Elijah spoke, appearing around the corner of the house, as always dressed in an impeccable suit and joined his brother. "That was over a week ago and I am willing to bet my money that you have dug up a lot more on him."

"You used us to do your dirty work, finding out more about Arawn?" Jeremy asked annoyed. _Never trust an Original_.

"Don't act so surprised, mate," Klaus said. "You obviously did the job so how do I kill him?"

"You don't," Damon bit. "I kill him."

Mara nodded behind him like she was trying to taunt Klaus.

Klaus let out a chortle. "You always were the fun brother, Damon. Well? Don't keep me in suspense, which one of you would like to tell me?"

None of them volunteered. Mara's eyes flickered to Lea and within a second Klaus picked up on it and rushed to Lea's side, caressing her neck. Damon jumped one step forward, making Klaus grin. "Seem like I found the right button here. What's your name sweetheart?"

"Lea."

"Lea. Good. You don't know me, Lea, but I am a man who isn't shy to use force to get what I want. If your friends don't tell me why you are so important, I might just have to kill you."

She didn't say anything but studied him with indifference. Damon knew that look. It was the same way she had looked at him when he wanted to kill her the first night they met.

"You can't kill her!" Bonnie spoke, not willing to let the game go on any further. "Lea is how Damon is going to get Arawn."

"Colour me intrigued," Klaus smiled and used his hand on Lea's neck to tip her head so he could get a better look. "How would such an ordinary girl become a weapon?"

"Because she's a Gea."

Both Elijah and Klaus looked surprised. "Really? Let's say, for the sake of argument, that she is a Gea then. How is that going to help?"

"A Gea's husband is the only one who can break through Arawn's invincibility."

"Ah, that's why you were talking about a wedding." Klaus let go of her neck and patted her on the cheek. "I think we can all agree that another Original would make a far better candidate for the groom then. What do you say, Mrs. Mikaelson?"

"Absolutely not!" Damon clenched his fists and Caroline had an odd expression on her face. He could see that Stefan and Jeremy were actually considering the change of plans. "You can't really agree with him?" Damon asked outraged. Lea looked like she was about to get sick.

"I don't think you have an argument that can convince even your own brother. I am the only real option."

Damon glared at him and Klaus lifted his chin in a superior manner, giving Damon a look like he wasn't even in the same league as the Original. That was until Lea suddenly couldn't keep down all the booze she had been drinking and bent over to puke. Klaus were standing too close and it spilled on his leather shoes. Everyone stopped and held their breaths. Lea's face was burning red with embarrassment and Damon was unsure whether to applaud her or hand her a glass of water. He decided to go to her and pull her hair back in one efficient swoop.

"Now I see why you are so eager to marry this gem," Klaus spoke and stepped away from Lea who held her hand against her mouth and was looking strangely vulnerable.

Damon was furious. "You are not near man enough to deserve her."

"Don't push it, mate." Klaus groaned.

"Damon... don't," Lea mumbled and Caroline sat down beside her.

Damon didn't listen. He was already folding up his shirtsleeves with calm movements. "Oh I am going to push you, right in the face. I always wanted to see if I could knock that lame accent out of you."

"I have a better idea, how about I just rip your hands off, what do you say?" Klaus sneered. He wasn't used to direct threats and it didn't sit well with him.

They were almost in each other's faces and Klaus looked like he was talking to a young punk yanking his chain. Elena had covered her eyes and Stefan was having a hard time seeing his brother act so stupid.

"I am her True Consort. You are nothing but an Original dickhead." Damon pushed Klaus and suddenly the fists were flying and Lea looked away, waiting for the inevitable sound of Damon's skull being bashed in. When the sound of fighting continued, she looked up, gawking at the sight of Klaus and Damon fighting at the speed of light. It was impossible to make out who was winning because they flashed around the garden. Damon got pushed several feet back, landing on his back in the grass and Klaus ran to finish him, but Damon got up fast and hit the charging Klaus with an upper-cut. The strike was so precise and hard that the Original was put off balance and Damon reached for Klaus' wrist wringing the arm around and used the force to tip Klaus to the ground. Damon followed, landing on top and held Klaus firmly by the throat.

It would be an understatement to say that Klaus was surprised. He who had lived a thousand years had been bested by a baby vampire. Elijah was staring too and no one knew how to react. It was like someone was messing with the divine order.

Damon was seething, but felt a bit staggered as well. "Right. This is how it is going to go; I marry Lea. You are free to stay and help our project, but you do not give the orders. And for god's sake don't attempt to kill me as well. I'm not after your precious Hybrid throne." Klaus struggled to get free but Damon just tightened his grip. "Don't try to fight me. You know I can beat you now."

"How?" Klaus growled, not able to comprehend his defeat.

"I've had a revival," Damon said, "Courtesy of Arawn. Ironic isn't it?"

...

Klaus had decided not to stay in Mystic Falls and they weren't sad to see him go. Having Damon and him fight all day long for superiority would do more damage than good and Klaus insisted that they would need all his hybrids and henchmen to stand a chance, even with a weapon and a True Consort. Damon suspected that Klaus was now not only planning to kill Arawn, but that he too had made the list. He didn't care. They had made a temporary truce, hoping that their joined resources would better the odds and Klaus would return when they knew when and where to strike. Of course the others almost attacked Damon with questions as soon as Klaus had departed. Having only shared the secret of his changes with Lea, all of the others had expected Klaus to sqaush him like bug. Lea didn't stay to hear him brag, but went straight for her bathroom and a caffeine injection. Stefan wanted to hug and punch his brother for holding out on him and he wasn't feeling certain of how to react to Damon's new strength. His brother wasn't exactly known for his humility and impulse-control and Damon was perhaps not a very fit candidate to possess such power. Stefan would have to keep an eye on him.

All in all the day had passed smoothly considering Klaus had visited. Elena was feeling better as well. Stefan had let her taste human blood from the cellar fridge and it had been a great relief to her. The animal blood just didn't taste right, and with a good stock she never had to drink from people.

Lea sat in her room, looking out the window and savoring the peaceful moment. After Klaus took off the others were having a blast impersonating his face when Lea puked on him and Damon struck him down. Caroline's mood had improved a little and she had spent the evening with Mara, browsing the internet for wedding blogs. The thought of an elaborate wedding almost made Lea sick again, but she knew it was a good thing for Caroline to have something to do and as long as Lea didn't have to pick flowers and table cloths, she would fine.

There was a knock on her door and Damon pushed it open, without being able to enter. "Are you ever going to let me in?"

"Maybe," she smiled. Even after two showers and whole lot of toothpaste she couldn't remove the sticky feeling of a hangover.

"The others are playing some card game down stairs, told me to ask you if you wanted to come play."

"What card game?"

"I wasn't really paying attention…"

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Okay." He hesitated by the door. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah. That was pathetic huh? Apparently I'm no good at drinking, not like you anyway," she joked.

"Not everyone has the gift," he rolled his eyes. "But I don't think many have survived barfing all over an Original's shoes. That was some fine puking," he said in a southern accent.

"If you say so."

He moved to walk away.

"Hey Damon?"

"What now, Green Eyes?"

"I'm sorry about Liz. From what Caroline has told me, she was a pretty cool lady."

"I thought I told you not to try and bond with me," he said, but his tone lacked the sharpness it had after the funeral. "If a deck of cards can't interest you though, you are more than welcome to come to my bedroom. I'll show you a magic trick," he winked with perverted indiscretion.

"Oh I think not," she chuckled and almost spilled the coffee she was holding.

"Your loss. You're simply postponing the inevitable."

Lea snorted.

"Yeah you laugh," Damon teased and aimed his finger at her. "But I will have you again, Lea Fayal." As he disappeared from sight, Lea found that she was biting her lip hard. Why did he have to be so seductive? Trying to pry his face from her mind she looked out the window and noticed there was an envelope on the outside of the window sill. When she opened up and took it, green shiny ink could be seen forming her name.

The handwriting was Jaspers and she toyed with the idea of just burning it. But Lea had the curiosity of a child and soon she ripped it open, seeing a stack of photos inside. It took her a moment to realize that it was pictures of people torturing animals and she had to reach for the trash bin, throwing up her dinner. _Why would he send me these?_

* * *

**Read and review, please :) What did you think of what happened to Elena? Did you like Klaus' brief guest appearance? **

*** A verse from an old song in ancient Norse from the Edda Skáldskaparmál, about the warrior death:**

**Now is the flight of eagles**

**Over the field; the sailors**

**Of the sea-horses hie them**

**To the Hanged-God's gifts and feasting**

**** See my tumbler for a link to Lea's lullaby.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A humongous thanks to beta GemStoneLovely, who is a huge support all through my writing. She is writing this very exciting Klaroline fic, _Temptation and betrayal_ if you are looking for a new great story to drool over. :)**

* * *

During the following week, Lea found more of the little terrifying gifts, always placed outside her window. The first two times she just threw the envelopes in the trash, but on the third night there lay three dead animals, too large to ignore. One of them was a fox that had been run over by a car and a clear tire print had squashed its midsection. The second was a white mouse with a tattooed ear tag and it had been cut open to reveal huge tumors in the stomach. It looked like it had been stolen from a science lab. The last was not even a whole animal but a piglet without a head and with ink lines on its body, indicating where the butcher should cut it to make hams, pork chops and tenderloin.

Lea just stared at the bizarre display. She was too furious with Jasper to speak and she quickly found a big plastic bag and threw the animals into it. Then she stomped outside and disposed of them. From their talk before the fire she could easily guess Jasper's motives but she refused to let the emotional blackmail affect her. Jasper wanted her to get mad at the humans, for all the things that they exposed the earth and other creatures to, but she was more inclined to punish him than the humans. The sick pervert!

The worst part was that she began dreaming about the tortured animals and it deprived her of her good night sleep making her cranky and testy. The others thought it had more to do with the party arrangements that had infested the Boarding house. Lea was staying clear of what had evolved into a tropical monsoon season of wedding planning. Caroline had taken to the task with feverish enthusiasm, burying all thoughts of sorrow under tulle and lace. The fact that Lea had given her free reins and told her that she could just make the whole thing a surprise, meant that Caroline had moved out into the lake house, were the ceremony would take place. Occasionally they would see her at the boarding house, scrambling about, collecting random stuff and then disappearing for hours.

Some of the tension in the house had lifted when Mara moved to the lake house as well. She had become Caroline's party disciple and was always flipping through glossy bridal magazines. It was a relief to see her go because Elena had become increasingly irritated with her presence and it had culminated when Mara got the habit of getting all the stuff Elena had just set her eye on first, be it a simple pen or milk from the fridge. Stefan and Damon had to step between them before Elena got to strangle the newest resident, and Stefan was mildly shocked about the whole affair. He didn't understand why Elena would get so upset with Mara, because the new ally acted so sweet around him. Caroline had no problem with Mara, and they actually enjoyed their time together.

Lea managed to escape the dress shopping and only had to stand for half an hour of measurements in the living room. Damon however, was bullied into finding a ring. It took a while convincing him because he didn't think it had anything to do with him, but after being threatened with a purple velvet suit, he dragged Stefan along to do Caroline's bidding.

The whole house had gone into romance mood. Bonnie and Jeremy claimed that they were making a weapon out of Frigg's bone, but most of the time they were just making out. Lea didn't know what to do about the fluffy atmosphere or Jasper's unsubtle messages and tried escaping to another corner of the house only to bump into Elena and Stefan, who barely took their hands off each other after Elena had become a vampire. Even the forest seemed determined to underline the occasion, as the leaves were turning bright red and yellow under the fading autumn sun.

Having nothing to do while waiting for Caroline to finish the preparations, Lea took to exploring the parts of the Boarding house not yet occupied by entwined couples. She remembered that Elena had told her of a library and since the Salvatores had one and a half centuries worth of literature, she figured there was bound to be something to suit her taste. When she began her search, she realized that half the walls in the house were hidden behind huge bookshelves and no one had bothered coming up with a system to categories them. It made her oddly adventurous, letting her fingers play along the lines of titles, as if she were doing scales on a piano. Many of the books were old, really old, and she was startled when she found a first edition of _The Hobbit_. The collection held a great variety of genres, from science research publications to children's books. Going through it, she couldn't find any history related titles and wondered if people who live forever don't care about that stuff, having lived through most of it.

The dark mahogany shelves smelled dusty in the way only old paper and ink could and it mixed with the scent of leather from the elegant bindings. Lea went upstairs and in opposite direction of the bedrooms to look for more books. She hadn't seen many classics like _Gone With The Wind_, and as no decent collection would be complete without them, there had to be more somewhere. The first door she opened was a bathroom. The second turned out to be the fitness room Elena had installed, complete with the newest machines for running and bun toning. Lea liked training but she preferred doing it outside.

Finally, she opened the third door and her chin dropped to her chest when she saw the cozy little library with rows of bookshelves and big old-fashioned armchairs you could get lost in. Like the other rooms in the house the library was kind of dark, because of the wooden panels and heavy curtains. There were many small tables with lamps made of colored glass, reminding her of the old royal library back in Denmark. The wooden floor squeaked when she entered and she moved in awe through the room. Lea liked a good book as much as the next guy, but she nearly passed out when she recognized original world maps from the beginning of the 1800's, hung on the wall in modest frames. Quickly she found a chair that she pulled to the wall and climbed up so she could study an old one of Europe.

"They belonged to our granddad," Damon spoke close behind her and she almost tumbled down the chair. "Our mother said he had a passion for maps, because they reminded him of how small humans are."

She turned to see him sitting with a book in his lap. The room had fascinated her so much she hadn't noticed him at first. "They're amazing. I would give my left hand for one of those. What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" he asked and tapped his book. When she stared at him, he sighed. "What? You didn't think I could read?"

"You just don't look very bookish."

"You develop many interests when you have unlimited time to spend." The way he said it made her cheeks warm, like he was referring to far darker hobbies.

"I won't disturb you then. Just pretend I'm not here."

"Looking for a wedding-free zone too?" he grinned. "I would rather have Klaus and Katherine tickle me with vervain flowers daily than arrange weddings."

"I know what you mean. The only input I had to offer Caroline was the bad things I would do to her if she dressed me in something pink. When Jasper and I were engaged, he handled everything. I didn't care about any of it, I was just happy. Silly me, huh?" She sunk down in a chair across from him and looked slightly depressed. "I had sworn I would never get married after that. I even have a t-shirt with this pun because the Danish the word for poison and the word for marriage is the same." Damon couldn't help laughing and Lea liked the sound of it.

"Tomorrow evening it'll be over. Then we can get back to the plans of killing instead, which if you ask me, is much more fun."

Lea pouted and slightly regretted not keeping Caroline on a shorter leash. She was dreading Caroline's choice of wedding gown. Lea rarely ever wore dresses because they were too impractical when she was outside all the time, digging or hiking. "I wish we could just go get it over with right now."

"The mayor is a friend of mine, we can go right now," Damon suggested, closing his book.

"You're serious? That would be great! Oh, but we can't do it to Caroline. She's been working her butt off."

Damon rolled his eyes like Caroline was inconsequential. "We'll do both. That way the second wedding isn't really ours, it's just a party, and as much as I hate weddings, I love to party." He jumped up and did a little dance move.

"For two people who hates weddings, wouldn't it be a bit silly actually having two of them in two days?" Lea asked.

"The second wouldn't count as a wedding."

It somehow made sense to her. This way she wouldn't have to worry because the bandage had already been ripped off. It wasn't Caroline's extensive celebration that freaked her out, but the idea of actually getting hitched. If they could be through that part in half an hour, perhaps she could get rid of that nervous bellyache.

"But we won't tell the others?" she smiled.

"No."

Lea bit her lip, thinking about it briefly. Then she jumped up, taking hold of his wrist. "Let's go."

They tiptoed through the house and ran for the garage. Lea suggested that they take her bike but Damon had no intentions of sitting behind her and they ended up in Damon's Camaro instead, speeding downtown. For some reason the small elopement made the adrenalin pump through Damon and he peeked over at Lea.

She looked like she always did, dressed in a sandy green blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and light brown tight pants. Her leather boots seemed to be a number too big and the worn leather jacket in her lap looked like it had been made before she was born. There wasn't much bride about her, but that was fine by him. It made him feel like they were simply going for a ride, not heading for a marriage.

Mayor Lockwood sat typing emails when they knocked on the door and was invited in. She rose, needlessly checking her flawless outfit and aimed a well-rehearsed smile at them.

"Damon, how good to see you," the sophisticated woman spoke, greeting them and measured Lea with a discrete glance. Lea picked her for one of those fancy ladies that came from old money and who responded well to good manners.

"Always a pleasure, Carol," Damon simpered smoothly and led Lea forward. His courteous tone was lightly sarcastic, but the mayor didn't seem to have a clue.

"And who is this lovely young lady?"

"I'm Lea Fayal, Mrs. Mayor, pleased to meet you." She mimicked Damon, although she felt ridiculous.

Carol Lockwood winked her eyes politely and waved for them to sit down in front of her enormous desk. "What can I do you for, Damon?"

"Well Carol, me and Lea met recently and just fell head over heels in love," he took Lea's hand and squeezed it, smiling like he was advertising toothpaste, "and we're engaged."

The composed older lady widened her eyes and now allowed herself a proper stare down Lea's figure. "I see." Her voice had a sharp note but the smile never left her lips. When she looked back at Damon Lea realized that the mayor was acting jealous. Had he banged every woman in this town?

"We were planning a wedding, but I just couldn't wait to take this snug pug as my wife," Damon rambled on, and Lea smiled sweetly, nodding but feeling like she was waiting in the dentist office. She hated dentists. "I thought, how can I make this wonder-woman mine as quickly as possible and then it hit me; my dear friend Carol Lockwood could wed us today. It would give me such joy to have one of my close friends perform the ceremony."

Lea could see that his charm was working and the mayor warmed up.

"Oh Damon, how wonderful that you have found yourself such a remarkable girl." The word _remarkable _sounded like an offence. "You are after all a most remarkable young man." This time it sounded like she was purring. "Fine. I can come by this evening and…"

"No it has to be now," Lea interrupted, causing Mrs. Lockwood to purse her lips.

"You see, Carol? We can't wait another second." Damon put his hand on his heart and looked at Lea flirtatiously. The whole thing felt like a con, as if they were two bank robbers trying to charm the manager into give them the key.

"Oh, alright. It's a bit unorthodox, but I can hardly deny you, Damon," she said and walked to the door. "I just have to get the papers and you can find your rings and practice your vows till I return."

"Vows?" Lea said as soon as the door closed. "We haven't got rings or vows."

"Just make something up and remember we are in love, snug pug," he cooed.

She frowned and prayed that it would all be over soon. _For the sake of human kind_, she chanted in her head repeatedly. Damon got up and pulled the curtain half closed, so his chair wasn't in the sun. Then he took of his lapis lazuli ring and handed it to her.

"Here's my ring, where's yours?"

"Didn't Caroline send you to get one?"

"Yeah, I couldn't find one."

"There are two jewelers in town. You just had to go by the cheapest thing you came across and have it done," Lea complained. She was afraid that the mayor would see through their scam when she didn't have a ring.

"We went, but I got mesmerized by all the shiny things," Damon mocked.

"Just admit you went to the Grill," Lea huffed and grabbed a paper clip from the desk. She unfolded and then bended it into a shabby spiral ring.

"Of course I went to the Grill. Stefan kept nagging me to get it done the whole time. Nearly ruined my drinking."

The door opened and put an end to their bickering. Carol Lockwood handed them some papers to be signed and then asked them if they were ready.

Her short legal speech was drop dead boring, but she performed it with solemn grace. "A marriage is a binding commitment and one that should not be entered lightly. So. Damon Salvatore, do you take Lea Fayal to be your wife?"

He took Lea's hands and sighed theatrically, "I do."

Lea slipped the old ring back on his finger. It was wonderfully mechanical and she was relieved at how simple it was.

"And Lea Fayal, do you take Damon Salvatore to be your husband?"

"I do."

Damon took the awful paper clip and gently slid it on her finger.

"Do you have anything you would like to say to Lea?"

"Of course," he smiled.

She was completely unaccustomed to seeing him pretend to be tender and she wasn't sure she was comfortable with it.

Damon leaned towards her. "Lea. I only have one thing to say. I am surrounded by very special people all day," Lea giggled at how true it was, "and I can honestly say that you are the most extraordinary person I've ever met."

"Isn't that nice?" Carol smiled. "And a last word as Miss Fayal?"

"Okay, uhm..." she tried thinking of something sugary, but Damon didn't exactly encourage fluffy compliments.

"Yes, Miss Fayal?"

"Well, Damon..." she wrinkled her nose, "Okay. I was sure I would not get married, ever. But somehow I know that I will never be bored with you and I promise you, in all the time you and I will be together, I will never bore you either."

"What an interesting choice of a vow," the Mayor commented but Damon appeared to be genuinely smiling at her. "I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Damon grinned and Lea froze as he took her in his arms and bend her backwards. "Now Mrs. Salvatore, you are mine." It sounded more possessive than romantic and Lea, being her own woman and all, didn't enjoy the prospect of belonging to someone with his kind of sadistic tendencies. Nevertheless, when he closed his lips around hers all the tension and electricity mounted up in his days stalking her flared. The kiss travelled to a deep place, sending waves of excitement through her, and when they detached with ragged breaths Lea knew that she would not be sleeping in her own room tonight.

They signed the papers, Carol Lockwood handed them the marriage certificate without much ado and it was over. Walking back to the car they both silently tested how this new arrangement made them feel and was surprised to learn that nothing much had changed.

Damon looked at Mrs. Salvatore. It didn't really seem like the 10 minutes of legal babble had rocked their relationship. She was still the same with her alert eyes and proud posture.

When they sat in the car, Lea spoke with a furrowed brow. "I think we might actually survive this."

"At least until we take Arawn down," Damon added.

"I guess we just go home now..."

"And get really drunk."

"Speak for yourself; I had more than enough Sunday. I don't know if Gea's aren't made for drinking alcohol, but I don't feel like testing it today. "

Damon smirked. "You can get drunk without drinking."

The way he looked at her made her breath faster. "We shouldn't..."

"You promised me you wouldn't be boring." He waved the certificate. "I want the Lea that straddled me and succumbed to me, Mrs. Salvatore. If you and I are going to be married at least we can enjoy the only thing worth being married for."

"You can't bully seduce me, Damon and I advise that you be careful what you wish for. You might find yourself wanting more and more," Lea whispered. "You might end up addicted." She arched an eyebrow and he growled at her playfulness before kicking the car into gear and making the wheels spin as he drove to the Boarding house.

The whole way home Lea sat toying with the hem of her blouse along the cleavage. Damon didn't know why she had the sudden change of heart and had gone from running to teasing him, but he wasn't going to complain. He had wanted her ever since he first had her, and if a simple _I do_ made her feel safe enough to give in, Damon would take full advantage.

She walked slowly and casually from the garage to the house and up the stairs. Damon followed her and when they reached his bedroom he wanted to drag her inside, only he found her hand already on his shirt pulling him in before he could act.

"To hell with it," she breathed and seized his mouth as they stumbled into his room. This time Damon was not going to let her control the show. He had been waiting for this and he wanted to own every inch of her.

Lea was overwhelmed from the second she felt him take charge. She was not used to playing a passive role but Damon wanted to have his way with her. HIS way. Without hesitation, he hoisted her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. The mere sensation and smell of his sheets made her want him, because her body remembered the pleasure it had received last she was here.

Damon didn't waste any time but undressed her with fast efficiency, throwing her boots, shirt and pants beyond the borders of the bed. She leaned up to undress him as well but he took her hands firmly and held them down over her head with just one hand, completely incapacitating her. It was sweet torture not being able to touch him as he unbuttoned his shirt slowly, letting her see the unveiling of his fit torso and feel his erection against her panties.

She realized that she would never tire of that sight. Damon was many bad things, but he was also beautiful. He watched her reaction closely as he ran his free hand over the curve of her shoulder and all the way up on the inside of her arm, across her palm and to the middle fingertip. Then he repeated the act on her other shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she smiled.

"I am corrupting you," he said darkly.

"How?"

"I have decided to get to know you, Mrs. Salvatore. Every. Little. Inch. Of you. And when I am done, no one will be able to satisfy you like will." He underlined his statement by blowing gentle air in a line down her neck and over her breasts, causing her to tremble.

"You are a very cocky man."

"Yes I am and I am about to show you just how cocky." He continued to hold her hands down, while removing his pants.

Damon carefully licked his lips and then lowered them to her stomach, pressing tight kisses on her skin. His insistent tongue circled her bellybutton, making her gasp and struggle to free her hands, but he didn't let go. Instead he made his way up to her full breasts and treated them with unremitting diligence. Between his lips her nipples turned hard as pink diamonds and hardened further with each bite, lick or suck. Lea pushed herself towards him, whimpering for him to release her and let her touch him. She had already succumbed to him, and now she simply waited for him to make her scream. His mouth was exploring her, drawing her curves like the river stroking the rocks and every time he made her moan, he stopped and repeated the process. It was a systematic journey of discovery and Damon was mapping her every tiny spot of special sensitivity and using the knowledge to shatter her into vibrating pieces.

She didn't even notice when he let go of her hands and took a hold of her hips because his pathway of gratification led him down, down, down. Lea gasped and arched her back, feeling the warm wet kiss between her thighs. Arousal was building up a mountain inside her and she wanted him inside. The eagerness of his tongue teased her and tickled her. Leaning up to look at him, Lea saw him smile cruelly at her, before he moved on, down below her waist. She was just about to complain that there was no reason to go further down, when he licked the inside of her thighs and fondled the back of her knee and the complaints died in her throat.

"Damon, don't stop," she sighed.

Damon, of course, didn't obey and sat up watching her with his thumb lightly tapping her clit. "Convince me."

"I don't beg," she said challengingly, but sighed heavily when Damon slowly rubbed her with his fingertip.

"I don't want you to beg. You should never have to beg."

Her cheeks were heated and her breath ragged. "Then what do you want?" Right now she was willing to do pretty much anything for him.

"Tell me you want me. Show me you want me." It was a command and a plea and Lea could not remember having seen that expression on his face before. He was so naked.

Lea sat up and moved close to him. "I want you, Damon. I want you badly." One of his black locks of hair was in his eye and she slowly brushed it aside.

The simple gesture seemed to cause an avalanche of emotion in his features and before she could speak again he conquered her tongue and tore her willpower asunder. He hoisted her up and turned her, so her back rested against his chest, while he ferociously kissed her shoulders. Then, slowly he lowered her unto him, penetrating her and Lea found his strength compelling. Standing on their knees, they began to move together, Lea gripping the bedpost and they allowed themselves to get lost in profound motion.

None of them thought about the fact that this was their wedding day and what did it really matter? When they were with each other like this, volcanos seemed cold in comparison. They were alight. Papers and Originals aside they were just two people caught in physical attraction and neither had the will or the desire to resist.

Lea opened herself to every touch, every inch of his cold soft skin caressing her back and surrendered to his hands that never stopped rubbing her. He was so demanding, but so was she. The way he insisted on holding her firmly only heightened her need to have her hands on him and he pushed into her repeatedly, making her scream shamelessly. When he let his finger wander down between her thighs, she couldn't bear it any longer and came around him with glorious tremors. Damon was too worked up to carry on and followed her soon after with a low grumble. Then he let them both fall down to the side.

They lay very still on the soft bed without separating or speaking and Damon was chewing on his lips lost in thought.

Lea was simply enjoying the feeling in her body, a warmth that gave the impression of comfort and fulfillment. "We're good at this."

He couldn't help smiling, but hid it when she wrenched herself around and looked at him. "Good is an understatement."

She agreed with him by making a lazy humming noise and rolling to the edge of the bed. "I could really use a shower. Can I borrow your bathroom?" she asked and crawled off the bed.

"Be my guest."

She went to turn on the water in the tub and crawled into it while it slowly filled up. Damon got up and watched her soak for a minute before joining her.

"Hey, we can't both fit in here!"

"Of course we can," he stated and sat down facing her. There were no bubbles in the water and they could see each other clearly.

Lea leaned back and closed her eyes. "Can I ask you a question without you freaking out on me and telling me how I shouldn't try to bond with you?"

"You can try."

Lea tipped her head to the side "How many girls have you slept with?"

Damon looked at her surprised before squinting. "Do you really want to know or are you just beginning to fill in the part of nagging wife?"

She responded by speaking like an old-fashioned housewife. "Why so testy, dear husband? Embarrassed about your conquests?"

"Of course not. I am just not sure you want to spend the whole night waiting for me to list them all." He put his arms behind his head and smiled cockily.

Lea merely laughed at him. "Riiight, come on Don Juan, tell me, it's not like we are really a couple. I've got no reason to be jealous."

"Oh you've got more reasons than I can count to be jealous."

Lea laughed even louder. "Fine if you don't want to tell me, don't. Let's talk about my conquests then."

"What? No! How many men could you even have been with at your age?" he asked, not entirely comfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. Which girl in their right mind would want to know things like that?

"Who said anything about men?" Lea joked, actually succeeding in leaving Damon dumbstruck. "He he, you are cute when you're speechless," she chuckled and pinched his cheek. Damon couldn't let something like that go unpunished. He pulled her feet hard until she slid towards him and her head came under water.

She surfaced coughing. "That was uncalled for! Why do you always punish me with water?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Damon winked, as always failing to look innocent.

"You made me walk home in the rain and you threw me in the lake when we were at the cabin, remember? I don't know if it's a fetish of yours, but there seems to be a pattern."

"The first was for my amusement but the last one was for your own good."

"Well it couldn't be about showing off because you're a horrible swimmer," she teased and reenacted a clumsy breaststroke.

"Pff, I'm not horrible anything," he dismissed.

"Oh please you're terrible, through and through Damon."

"But you like me anyway."

She tipped her head to the side studying him severely. "I don't pretend to know who you are Damon. I don't know where you're coming from or where you're going. You're nobody's man and I respect that, more than you know."

He listened silently.

"But you're still terrible. How many people have you killed?" She didn't look judgmental, but the question put him off.

"I know you think murdering is perverted, but it would get really perverted if I kept score, wouldn't it?"

She bit her lip. "I suppose. But you're mistaken about one thing though."

"And that is?"

Lea inhaled before answering. "I don't think killing is perverted. It's natural that there'll be hunters and prey. It's not the killing that makes vampires an abomination of nature, it's your immortality and the way you are transformed. Beings are not supposed to come back once they're dead."

He stared at her with a gauging expression, not sure where such a dark statement was coming from. "You're starting to sound more like a Gea every day."

"I guess. I've been thinking a lot about humans and vampires and death lately."

"The death defying Lea is thinking about death?" he huffed in false surprise.

Lea smiled warily. "You remember Jasper?"

"Not fondly," he admitted.

Lea scrubbed her arms and legs and avoided Damon's gaze. "He showed up before the fire and made me wish I knew how to cause those earthquakes. He said some things and no matter how much of dick he is, I haven't been able to put it from my mind. It's like he's haunting me."

Damon combed his fingers through his moist hair with deadly determination. "I'm going to kill that guy."

She leaned forward and grabbed both of his hands. "He only told me that humans are afraid of death because they think they are above it and I don't understand why they are afraid of something so natural." Her green eyes sparkled in the dim light and they were begging Damon to tell her something wise to erase Jaspers words from her mind. Somehow, it felt like this meant that humans were denying nature, and by extension, denying her. She didn't want Jasper to be right.

Damon stroked her cheek. "They are afraid because they're not as brave as you, Lea. Hell, I'm not as brave as you. It's the fact that you have no choice, no control. The time we spend on earth is out of our hands. Not even vampires can control it in the end."

She frowned. "You're afraid of death too?"

"Let's leave it at I am very glad to be an immortal," he replied and leaned back against the tub.

She pondered his words for a while, but still seemed unable to crack the code she was trying to break. Finally she leaned back, apparently relenting and changed the subject. "What were you like as a human?"

"Young and foolish. I fought in the civil war, played croquette and ducked my father's attempts to teach me his trade. I did not want to follow in his wake."

His angry nose wrinkle kept her from asking about his reasons. "What about your mother?"

Damon hadn't thought of her in forever. "Why do you want to know?

"A man's first love is his mother," she grinned and edged closer, "I'm checking out the competition."

He eyed her skeptically but when she turned and swam to lie with her chest pressed against his, her open expectant eyes made him surrender. "I don't remember much about her. She died giving birth to Stefan when I was seven and I was so angry with my brother for taking her away."

"I'm sorry," she whispered and kissed his chest in an arousing soothing manner.

"Nah. It was a long time ago."

"Was she as pretty as you and Stefan?"

"Pretty, huh?" he raised his eyebrow and she shrugged with a smile. "We didn't get our looks from our dad, that's for sure. We have a painting of her in the library in her Sunday gown, if you want to see it sometime."

"Tell me more."

He got a distant look in his blue eyes, drawing the picture of her that he still remembered. "She had her black hair in a thick braid and this tiny mouth with an unexpectedly large smile. I don't remember her voice, but she smelled like cinnamon, probably because cinnamon buns where the only thing she knew how to cook and me and father asked her to bake them all the time. She was religious. I bet she would turn in her grave if she saw what me and Stefan became." He paused and Lea just watched him. "What about your family? What would they say if they knew you had gotten married like this?"

"They're probably still upset that I took off without notifying them, but they're used to me being very independent. My parents are divorced so I could get away with all sorts of trouble," she said, chuckling at a memory. "I was a good girl, mostly, but I am too wild to sit still and be quiet."

Her impish expression made him smirk. "Is that why you chose to become an archaeologist?"

"I chose that for many reasons. For one, I have this inexplicable love for dirt."

"Not so inexplicably now," he added.

"No, I guess not." She blushed. "The other reason was that I had a profound love for Indiana Jones when I was a kid. Those adventures and that forceful whip, I wanted to be him."

"I knew it," Damon exclaimed, remembering how he had taunted her with that exact cliché the third time they met.

"Don't be so smug," she grunted and stepped out of the tub to reached for a towel, and started to dry herself.

He simply watched her nude form without discretion.

"What did you want to be when you were human?" she asked once she had wrapped herself in the towel.

Damon rose from the water also, not trying to hide anything and she handed him another towel without blinking. "Anything but a business man like my dad. I was a soldier at one time but I am not one for getting in line and shouting sir, yes, sir."

"Couldn't imagine that you were," she confessed. "Okay but what did you want to be when you were a kid?"

Damon had to think for a while, and considered stopping the game of questionnaire, when he remembered: "I wanted to be like my grandfather."

"The one who had the maps?" She asked and went to get dressed as he dried up.

"Yes. He had a business like dad, but he had other people to run sales for him. They sold rare and exotic wares from around the world and granddad travelled all the time to find new interesting goods. My father said granddad was a drunk and a gambler, which he probably was, but my mum used to tell me bedtime stories about all the amazing places he visited. He died before I was born, but mum made a cabinet of curiosities with all the strange stuff he brought home."

"Cabinet of curiosities?"

"It's a 19th century thing, a room full of strange objects like cat skulls, renaissance paintings, African wood idols or archaeological findings. It could be anything as long as it was weird or exotic. I spent hours in there when I was a kid. Father thought it was a waste of space and he threw it all out when mother died. I saved a few things, made my own little secret cabinet." Damon had a rare gentleness in his features.

"Do you still have it?"

"I didn't want my father or Stefan to find it so I hid it in the garden in a box I buried. I haven't thought about it since I became a vampire, so it might still be there."

"Let's go look for it!" Lea exclaimed and slipped into her shoes.

"Now?"

"Yeah get some pants on, shirt is optional. Then let's go find it, hubby."

At first, Damon thought she was being funny. Why would he want to dig into a past that was no longer his? The human life he had once lived was not a part of him anymore, but the talk of his granddad stirred a memory in him that he didn't think mattered anymore and her enthusiasm was contagious.

"Alright then, it's not like there's an appending apocalypse to worry about," he spoke sarcastically.

Damon wasn't sure why he was encouraging her whimsies and he knew he would have to go do something very bad sooner or later to make up for all the sappiness. He also felt slightly like he had been lured into a trap, and that she was actually starting to act like a wife, being all attentive to his feelings and personality, which was not a part of their deal. If she wasn't so damn tempting he probably wouldn't have blabbed about all that stuff. Then she would more likely be lying on the floor, limp like an empty blood bag. It must be the Gea in her that vexed him like this. Every time she looked him into the eye, he seemed to forget that carefully controlled guard of his. There was no way that her exhausting personality could cause that to happen, ergo her Gea powers were messing with his head.

He was bent on being difficult and rude to her from now on, just to make sure she didn't jump to conclusions about the two of them. He was not Saint Stefan, sharing his feelings with diaries and damsels, and a smart mouthed biker-chick wasn't about to change that.

Lea interrupted his sulking inner dialog when she jumped him with a heated and irresistible kiss, melting his every evil intention and replacing them with lust.

"And once we're done with the childhood memories, you are going to have to remove all those clothes again. I am so not done with you yet," she winked and Damon forgot all about his reservations. Lea was one feisty woman and all she wanted was to have some fun. She was as opposed to marriage as he was, he reminded himself and after all, he still hadn't had enough of her. In spite of this little confusing conversation, that had felt far too natural, he still wanted her. Badly.

...

They spent the rest of the day driving to the old abandoned Salvatore manor, looking for his childhood treasure. Damon wasn't exactly one to revel in memories, but Lea had the same eager light in her eyes as when she talked about archaeology. He didn't participate in the digging but once she uncovered the lid of the old tin box he couldn't resist and crouched down to pull it up himself.

Lea wanted to bring the box back to the Boarding house and Damon pretended not to care and let her have her way. When they got back, Stefan was in the living room and watched them quietly as they headed for the staircase and Lea tried to guess all the things she would find in the box while Damon grinned every time she suggested a new obscure object. He couldn't figure out why anyone would want to save tea cups or old American coins.

Back in his room, they emptied the box on the bed and Lea dived into the small hoard. It turned out Damon had saved quite a few things of his Granddad's. They went over each thing one at a time and Lea insisted that he tell her the story behind each one. He indulged her and made it a bit of a sport to akkomplish that stunned expression of hers where her eyes grew to an improbable size. She was particularily thrilled about a small bundle of colorful feathers that came from a tribe living in the Amazon jungle. An old chieftan had traded them to his grandfather in exchange for a silver spoon that the chieftan added to his crown of leaves and feathers.

"What is this?" Lea asked and held up a small skull. "It looks like a bird."

"That were the Fell's, our former neighbour's, canary bird," Damon grinned. "My granddad had all sorts of animal parts, a lion paw and hippo teeth. I wanted to add something to the collection and so I kind of murdered the poor bird and blamed it on the cat. Father found out me boiling the canary and spanked me so good I couldn't sit for days."

"How old were you?"

"Six I think."

"And already an evil mastermind," she giggled and he punished her by pulling her to him and fake-biting her. She squeeled but had to put up with it, as he was too strong to fight him off. He finally seized his biting and fell down beside her on the bed. "This is the weirdest day ever," she laughed. "I actually got married and I spend a fun day in the company of Damon Salcatore. Not to mention the sex!"

"Yeah it wasn't bad," he agreed.

"Why would it be bad? You were with me," she spoke in perfect imitation of Damon's arrogance, making him smile against his will. In those moments, they both seemed to forget, that they were supposed to be two very powerful creatures, not meant to have normal carefree talks like this.

"Lea where are you?" Caroline called from the hallway. "It's your last night as a free woman."

"You don't think she arranged a hen night, do you?" Lea whispered horrified and tumbled off the bed.

"Who cares, just ignore her," Damon stretched his body and tried pulling her back on the bed. "She will never think to look inhere."

Lea surrendered quickly falling against him and giggled

"I can hear through walls you know," Caroline scolded as she flung the door open. "I don't care if he compelled you into his bed; you are not staying the night. You are coming with me and the others to the lake house, so chop chop."

Damon was about to commence a shower of insults, but Lea stroked his arm and got up to follow Caroline. "Sorry Damon, but I'm more afraid of her than you," Lea jested and Caroline smiled pleased. "Besides, you and I both need some distance if we have to be able to stand each other tomorrow," she winked.

"Stefan had something he wanted to talk to you about, when you're done glowering," Caroline triumphed and pushed Lea in front of her out the door.

_Meddlesome little..._ Damon thought. Seeing Lea disappear made him grumpy and he wanted mostly to escape with her back to the cabin where she had been hiding for Shedu a week ago.

He walked downstairs, only to regret the decision because the girls were yapping away with high-pitched voices. Elena had returned from the Island of Stelena and she was getting excited because she completed a long hug with Bonnie without suffering an outburst of incisors. She was excited to spent some time with the other girls and in case she felt like drinking blood, they had packed her a bunch of blood bags and Lea and Bonnie were given a bottle of water to drink, spiked with vervain.

Stefan, Jeremy and Damon watched the girls depart, each with their own sort of worry plastered on their faces. Jeremy was just sad that he had to spend the night without Bonnie, and Stefan was more worried what Elena would do when she was not spending the night with him. Damon needed time to think, but was irritated with Caroline for stealing Lea away just when they were shagging and having fun.

"I sincerely hope for your sake that you haven't planned a stag-night for me," Damon groaned, but both his brother and Jeremy knew him well enough to not even consider such an initiative.

"Nope, feel free to spend your last evening as a bachelor doing what you love best; solitary drinking," Jeremy saluted him and walked away.

When the brothers were alone Stefan couldn't hold back a smile any longer. "I can't believe you had me spend three hours looking for a ring, and you still couldn't decide on one."

"Just couldn't find anything cheap enough," Damon dismissed with casual mockery.

"So you want her to settle for a paperclip ring?" Stefan asked and Damon sent him a mildly surprised look. "Yeah I saw the thing. Have a little pride brother. She's still going to be your wife."

Damon rolled his blue eyes. "Oh Stefan it's just something that we're playing. She's not really my wife."

Stefan shrugged. "For as long as it takes us to find Arawn, she is. I have an idea." Stefan pulled out a ring from his pocket. It consisted of two golden floral rings set over and under a black ring with a blue teint and golden gothic letters.

"Is that mum's ring?" Damon said. He hadn't seen it in over century and thought it had been lost to the ages.

"It is."

"You were saving that for Elena, weren't you, you rascal?"

"I was, but as much as Elena would appreciate its significance, it's not really her style. But if you give a ring from the 1840's to an archaeologist... She's going to love it," Stefan said with neutral features.

"I suppose. But Lea is a temporary wife; she doesn't really qualify for a family heirloom," Damon dismissed.

"Just tell her to give it back when we're done saving humanity," Stefan shrugged.

Damon snatched it. "Fine, it's not like I have another ring to give her." He gently put it in his pocket and ignored Stefan's shrewd glances. The antique ring really would suit her.


	19. Chapter 19

**So I am exploiting this opportunity to write a bit of fluff, but don't worry after this chapter danger and trouble reemerges. **

**Soundtrack: Lyse nætter, Alberter. See tumbler greenblood for link and pictures of dress, wedding ring and Damon's granddad's cabinet of curiosities.**

* * *

Lea woke up to Caroline's gleeful humming and spitefully wondered how a vampire could be a morning person.

They had stayed up past midnight and Lea was in no mood to get up at 7 am. The hen night had been less horrific than she anticipated and they had simply huddled around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and painting toenails. It had however been impossible to escape the mandatory party games and Lea only enjoyed them because she kept winning. They had played a game of _Never Have_ _I Ever_, where one person would say something they had never done and if the others had done it, they had to drink. Even without alcoholic beverages, Lea didn't really appreciate the game. It reminded her of the years in Middle school, a time in her life she would rather forget. But as long as she was winning the game, she didn't mind.

Thankfully they had soon moved on to simple girl-talk. It was the usual procedure, complaining about boys, drooling over boys and praising the assets of life as girls. Lea had always been an extremely practical person and preferred doing over talking and didn't really know how to contribute to the subject. Mara was completely clueless as always and made some weird comments on how men would always tie you up and leave you after sex, but they had learned by now that her unusual life also made her ill-suited for normal conversation and simply agreed with her. Elena and Mara tolerated each other and even exchanged some pleasantries and Lea was glad to have an evening with some peace. She kind ofmissed Damon though, and drifted off more than once, thinking of their hot congress. She had always been bad at waiting when there was something she wanted, and she had to admit that she wanted him. It now seemed stupid to have avoided his advances, because she really loved her time with him. He was so uncomplicated and she could handle sleeping with him without falling for him, for now.

Caroline's energetic cooing brought Lea's mind back from thoughts of the previous night. "Ready for a magical day?"

Lea yawned and drove her fingers through her messy hair. "I think it means more to you than it does to me."

"Oh for heaven's sake. It is not like we are celebrating your funeral." Caroline sounded resentful and Lea immediately felt guilty for complaining.

"I'm sorry. I'm just going to lean back and enjoy whatever you throw my way," Lea promised with a reconciliatory smile.

"That's the spirit. You have to stay inside the house this afternoon while we prep for the ceremony if you still want it to be a surprise. At first I wanted you guys to get married in a museum because that just works on so many levels. I mean you dig old stuff up and Damon, well Damon is old stuff," Caroline chitchatted and Lea chuckled. "Anyhow the lake is so beautiful this time of year, so Mara and I figured this is perfect and private. Just relax and go have some breakfast." Caroline made a check mark on a list and Lea suspected that the pep talk was a part of the blond vampire's detailed schedule for the day. There was no denying Caroline's efficiency and Lea was happy that she didn't have to help set up.

Lea exploited the freedom of the morning to take a longer hike along the lakeside and felt appeased by the stunning scenery. Nature surrounded her, wrapping her in a blanket of familiarity that made her realize how the inner Gea craved such moments. She sat down on a fallen tree trunk to take it all in. Autumn had finally gained the upper hand and within days the forest was blazing with colors. The wind succeeded in stripping the trees a little more each day, until soon, when the naked trees would stands as skeletons upon the ground.

She walked a little further, letting herself soak in the feeling of being home. Although there was peace out here she also began to notice a growing prickling sensation along her spine of anunpleasant nature. It grew as she wandered along the shore at the edge of the forest and when she came to the next bend of the shore, the discomfort turned into searing pain. The sight that met her was perfectly normal for any human, but for a Gea it was the equivalent to the Nazi mass graves. For many miles, the forest had been decapitated, leaving only a pattern of tree stumps, like scars in the landscape. The proud tall plant giants were now disassembled bones made into paper or furniture for humans to waste. Lea felt blackness inside her, like ink spreads when mixed with water. Voices of the Geas within her that had been so silent of late started screaming. The sight burned in her and the blackness colored her tongue and veins and eyes until she was blind, and then there was nothing.

Lea could not remember what happened next. It was like losing her ability to control her body all over again like after the ritual. She had seen forestry areas before and not thought twice about it. This time her body had reacted on its own and it felt strangely like being poisoned.

When she regained consciousness Mara's curious face was watching her. They were lying in a crater of sorts, about 6 feet deep and Mara was smiling like nothing had happened.

"Wakey Wakey Gea," Mara sang. "Silly sad girl wants you to come back to the house now. No time for playing."

"I wasn't exactly playing, Mara. Did you… see what happened with me?" Lea was afraid to ask the question. Last time she regained control of herself she had been kissing Damon. Who knew what kind of bad choices she could have made this time?

"Gea was angry," Mara replied and pointed upwards to the blue sky. "You shouted and tossed with dirt, and you made the earth growl. I called your name and you stopped. Then you walked towards me, black green eyes like a vampire and didn't see the big hole you made in the ground and you fell into it."

Lea felt her heart sink in her chest. "I did this?"

Mara helped her on her feet and nodded. "You are very strong, and very angry, Gea. You shouldn't be angry on your wedding day."

It was clear that Mara wasn't the one to discuss this with and Lea just petted the vampire on the shoulder in thanks and began climbing up the crater. Though calm on the outside Lea was freaking out. It didn't get any better when she saw the extent of her anger blackout as she reached level ground. Many stumps had been uprooted and the earth around the crater was torn like a massive feline beast had clawed it open. It looked like an attempt to erase the human marks on the land and Lea trembled. She didn't believe she was capable of something like this and yet the remaining blackness in her, a dormant rage, told her that she was. Being a Gea was something she had associated with fertility, bounty and growth, not destruction and further more it didn't feel like it had been another Gea that took control this time. It was another part of Lea herself that had done this.

"Let's get back, Mara. I need to think about this and maybe talk to Bonnie."

"Today is the wedding," Mara reminded her harshly. "Tomorrow you can worry." The slender vampire was beautiful, but there was still a lot of savage in her and Lea could tell that supernatural problems had a very low priority at the moment. Mara was likely to knock her teeth out, if Lea didn't pretend to enjoy the wedding.

Lea was too scared of losing control like that again to start a fight with the vampire. Not knowing what she was capable of, she might even hurt Mara or worse and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She would have to learn how to control this as soon as possible before she had another one of these incidents. With thoughts of worry, she left the macabre scene behind and followed Mara to the lake house.

…

Time passed slowly back at the boarding house and Damon was in a terrible mood from the moment he opened his eyes that morning. He hated feeling like this, and preferred the casual devil-may-care approach he usually mastered so well, but today was different. It couldn't be because he was marrying Lea, when they were already married, so it had to be the prospect of having to role-play in Caroline and Mara's performance of _A Fucked Fairytale Wedding _with him as lead character. If only Lea wasn't so keen on sparing Caroline's emotions, they could have just skipped this whole day and stayed together in bed. He was thoroughly enjoying Lea's company, she was the most interesting acquaintance in Mystic Falls, and if it hadn't required an actual wedding their little arrangement would have been God damn near perfect. She was having fun too and when they were done with Arawn he might even keep her for a while longer. The thought cheered him up a little but he still decided to hunt his breakfast instead of having it out of a plastic bag. Lea wouldn't object to that with her new Gea-philosophy of hunters and their prey.

Around noon, he got back from the hunt and found Jeremy waiting for him with those exhilarated puppy eyes. "Damon, can we talk before you walk the green mile?"

"Very funny, mini-gilbert," Damon smirked and welcomed the question with a swooping gesture of his hand.

"Since you told us that the ritual and the revival gave you all that power, I have been trying to get in contact with a hunter in Italy that I met once. I remembered he told me of an ancient vampire locked in a tower that he went to kill, but when he found the tower and the vampire, he also found that the imprisonment was a better punishment to the creature than death."

"You know I don't like horror stories about you scary vampire hunters and your sadism," Damon joked.

Jeremy ignored the clever remark. "The vampire in the tower claimed to be True Consort and that he had power my colleague couldn't even fathom. We didn't know what it meant at the time, but since Mara mentioned it, it got me thinking. I've been dead and come back to life and through that gained power I had never imagined, so you andI can sit and share stories about that miracle if we wanted to, but I can't tell you what it means to be a True Consort or how to use it against Arawn. When the wedding is over, you and I should visit that tower in Italy, before we move on Arawn and see if the vampire would like to share a few tricks. It sounds like he might the vampire Mara mentioned. The one that made the failed attempt on Arawn's life in the past."

"You're sure about that?"

"No, but we might learn something useful if it is true."

Damon thought briefly. It was true that he didn't know much about his new title and he wouldn't like to be locked in a tower because their plan failed, and let's face it, it wasn't often that their plans actually worked precisely as they should. "Fine. We'll go after the wedding. Lea would probably not mind going to Italy for a short remark."

"Do you think it's clever bringing Lea to see an ancient strong vampire who has the hots for a previous Gea?" Jeremy asked and Damon huffed irritated.

"Fine. I'll celebrate my honeymoon with you. Happy?"

Jeremy had a teasing expression that he had grown into over the years of dealing with a deadly serious profession. "Oh Damon, I'm flattered."

They got dressed in their appointed smokings and Stefan was brooding as always, worrying about Elena. The black suit looked great on Damon, how could it not, and if nothing else he would look stylish as he was taken to Caroline and Mara's tulle-embellished scaffold.

It was half past six when they were ready to go and Damon felt the bitterness of the morning return. Lea was probably just as annoyed with the situation and looking completely out of place, trapped in one of Caroline's white designer disasters, he imagined. Although he couldn't understand why, she seemed to care about vampire Barbie and she would most likely insist that they stay until after midnight. He hoped he could convince of a sexier alternative to cake cutting and withdraw to the bedroom early.

As they drove towards the lake house Damon brushed his suit off for the tenth time, with one hand on the steering wheel.

"Nervous big brother?" Stefan asked, attempting not to look entertained.

"About entering a marriage with Poison Ivy? Why would I be?" he grimaced.

"If it's any consolation I think Lea is the kind of poison that could do you good."

"Poison is poison," Damon shrugged

The sun had already descended below the horizon when they arrived. They spotted Bonnie immediately, with her palms facing the sky and the unmistakable expression of spell-casting on her face. Stefan got out and headed for the house while Damon sat for a minute, clutching the door handle. He was already married to Lea, so why did he feel this uneasy? Damon decided to pull himself together. After all, he had a nice evening of drinking and dancing ahead of him. He wasn't done testing Lea's dancing skills and considered challenging her to a jive.

Bonnie's face lit up as something brushed by Damon in high speed and stopped in front of the witch. At first he thought it was another one of Caroline's intricate and over the top decorations, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be a person dressed in a peculiar bright orange cape and riding a white plastic broom.

"Bonnie my little Twinkle Stick, how are you?"

"I'm great Helena. I was worried you wouldn't make it."

"Arh you know me, pixie pie, I love weddings and I could not miss the opportunity to meet a Gea! Is she as magnificent as the old ones described?"

Bonnie nodded and hugged the woman, who jumped down from the broom.

"Oh and this must be the groom," Helena exclaimed, clapping so all the little bells along her sleeves rang loudly. "I am Helena Ravensdale. Pleasure to meet you."

Damon had a downright skeptic frown on his face, walking up to the two witches. He had never met Bonnie's teacher before and he was thankful for it. She was an elderly woman with hints of white in black hair and she had probably been pretty once. The woman was in her forties and looked like a cook, trying to hold down her eager hovering broomstick whilst correcting her enormous hat with silver moons dangling from the tip. He refrained from shaking hands, but simply stared at her impolitely. "Yes I am the unfortunate one."

"Lovely, I can't wait to marry you two. It's not every day a vampire and a Gea ties the knot."

"Wait! She's the officiate?" Damon exclaimed, ignoring Helena's good-natured remarks.

"Yes, we thought a witch could make sure everything went right or you two might end up married but without the power of the True consort. And you wouldn't want that, would you?" Bonnie asked sweetly, hardly disguising her irritation and Damon made a discontent grunt.

He resolved to walking away instead of dealing with the two magic-mongers who were likely to gang up on him if he insulted them. As he turned his back on them, Helena Raving-Delusional, dismissed his rude manners on the basis that the planet Mars was in retrograde.

In the garden in front of the small pier, Jeremy and Caroline were adding the final touches to an elaborate decoration. They had used the red and yellow leaves to cover all of the ground between the house and the lake, making a bright carpet. Only a small dance floor, made with wooden planks, broke the colorful surface. There were no chairs, only huge green pillows. The darkness made the scenery look a bit dreary but a table had been set up with cake and candlesticks. Eight golden plates were decorated with napkins and leaves and the whole thing reminded Damon of a Halloween feast.

"Ah there you are," Caroline called. "The ceremony starts in fifteen minutes. Just go to the pier with Stefan and I will go fetch the bride."

…

Lea was staring at the dress bag and gathering the courage to open it when Caroline entered. She had a hard time focusing on the ceremony ahead after what had happened this morning and Bonnie had been too busy to help.

"Aren't you ready yet?" Without waiting for a response, Caroline walked over and unzipped the bag. Lea stretched to catch a glimpse of it as Caroline pulled the gown out. It was such a delicate light green that it almost seemed white. It had a strapless wrinkled top and a dark green broad band around the waist. Several layers of silky fabric, falling into a bell shape, constituted the skirt and it didn't look heavy as she had feared. There was no lace nor pearls. If Lea was ever going to choose her own wedding dress, this would be it! For a while she forgot that she was angry and worried.

"Caroline it's amazing!" Lea crawled into it and twirled in front of the mirror. Caroline nodded satisfied, as if she never had a doubt that Lea would approve.

"I considered something leathery, but both you and Damon should wear something out of the ordinary on your wedding day." Caroline began adding the details, a couple of ivy leaves braided into Lea's blond hair, a bracelet of volcanic rock pearls and a little silver toe-ring. When she was finished she stepped back and admired her own work. "You really look like a bride. If I could decide, I would add a veil, but I figure you would slap me if I tried to put one on you."

Lea nodded severely and Caroline shrugged in surrender. The blond vampire didn't look too bad herself in her floor-length plum purple mermaid gown and a miniature tilted hat.

"You really did an amazing job, Caroline."

"I know," she said with a smiled tucked in the corner of her mouth. "Ready?"

"Let's go make Damon all powerful and kick Arawn's sorry ass."

A flash of pain crossed Caroline's features and Lea took her hands. Caroline choked back any emotion and regained her composure. This was not a night to be thinking about the loss of her mother. "I am not sure it was a clever move giving Damon that kind of power," she bravely joked and Lea smiled.

"It's just temporary."

"I know. But still, you have to keep him grounded, Lea. We don't want to be making a new Klaus." In spite using his name as warning it still sounded soft on her lips.

"What makes you think I have that kind of sway over him? Damon does whatever he wants to."

"I think you have more power over him than even he will admit," Caroline said.

They walked together down the stairs and out into the chilled evening air. Coming from the brightness inside to the dark lawn in front of the lake house, Lea had to take a moment to let her eyes adjust. An after-sunset-wedding was perfect with all the vampires involved, but Lea silently thought that Caroline could at least have considered some lanterns for those who weren't gifted with night vision. The blond vampire was giving her away and stood in front of Lea with a huge sunflower as a bouquet. Lea didn't mind not carrying a bunch of flowers. They were prettier in the ground than in her hands anyway.

"What are we waiting for?" Lea asked, when Caroline didn't move.

"Just wait." The vampire waved her cellphone at the darkness. A low hissing sound came from somewhere she couldn't see, reminding her of a bomb fuse being lit. Warmth spread underneath the soles of their feet and it looked like little lights flared below the carpet of blushing leaves. Lea startled when a calm music began, and she realized she knew the song. It was a Danish tune called _light nights_ and it always made her feel all mushy and romantic. A woman sang the lyrics with tender restraint and Caroline turned to look at Lea.

"Now we walk," she muttered and took the first step into the night.

As soon as they began their stride towards the water, Lea gasped surprised. With each step they took it was like walking on a sponge exploding with dust, only instead of dust, it was tiny specs of light, small stars that kept floating upwards and creating a reverse glowing rain. It was like strolling through a vivid milky way with new stars being born beneath their feet. Slowly the lawn was illuminated, revealing their friends and Damon, waiting by the edge of the water. The sparkling rain was reflected in the waves, making it look like heaven and earth blended together with light. Bonnie was smiling, proud that her magic had made the ceremony beautiful, and created a perfect frame around Lea.She swept through the rising waterfall of embers, catching stars on her cheeks and arms. It was so beautiful that all the stress of their situation vanished and Lea was just a woman surrounded by magic, lending its glow to emphasize her own light. The warm aura of the sparks spread to her skin and made her feel like she was walking in sunshine in the middle of the night.

Lea felt shy when she realized that they were all staring at her with their mouths open. She caught Damon's eye. He was looking uncharacteristically severe and Lea tried a silly smile with blushing cheeks to soften him. It had quite the opposite effect, causing him to grow even stiffer. The black slim suit made him look spectacular and she wondered if the flowing dress and the lights made her look the same. She could hardly whine about marrying a man like him. At least he made her feel warm.

She walked by Elena and the others and unto the pier. The little soaring stars got tangled in her hair and she didn't dare brush them away. The flamboyant Helena had a broad smile on her face as the soft music faded and Lea positioned herself across from Damon, whose eyes were fixated on her.

"What an air of magic," Helena began, opening her arms as if to hug the universe and the ascending lights settled on the underside of her sleeves. "And what a magical union. Two opposites: dark and light, death and life, man and woman."

Damon stared at Lea with burning intensity and the blue eyes mesmerized her. He looked worried. Lea wanted to remind him that this was all for fun, but she didn't want to interrupt Helena.

"Today we perform a ceremony older than most, older than man and vampire, as old as life itself. This ceremony transcends you and exists through you. There are many reasons for two beings to become one. Humans like to celebrate love, but the union also protects and promotes life, by ensuring that new life will be brought into existence. The two of you can never make new life together but your goal is equally noble. Through your commitment, lives will be saved, the world will go on turning. The great Gea has chosen her mate."

Lea smiled again at the dramatic speech and wished that Damon could share her amusement. He looked every bit a creature of the night with the shadows on his face, born of the light shower and Lea wanted mostly to be alone and naked with him. And maybe stroke his cheek to calm him. The moment made her a bit starry-eyed, she realized.

"Whatever the two of you will have to face, you can draw strength from each other. Love has many faces and one of them is respect. Have faith in each other and show respect, all else will come in time. Lea look at Damon. Se his willpower and know that he gives it all to you. The rings are your promise, the seal that binds you. Lea, do you promise to commit to Damon?"

"Yes, I do," she said shyly. Stefan handed her Damon's day walker ring and she placed it on his finger, giving his hand a small reassuring squeeze. His rugged features almost drowned in shadows now and she wished he would turn towards the light so she could see him.

"Damon look into Lea's eyes. See her strength and her fragility, those are qualities you must cherish and protect. When you give her the ring, you also vow to honor the responsibility of the True Consort. Do you promise to commit to Lea?"

"Of course," he said without a smile and reached for his mother's ring. Lea had not expected any ring at all and kept looking back and forth between Damon and the ring. It felt like wearing a piece of history and she was strangely grateful to be given something so valuable.

"The knot is tied and cannot be broken until such a time as Damon or Lea decides to part or death claims Lea for his own."

Damon turned his head to look at Helena for the first time as if she had said something surprising.

"Now children, you are man and wife," Helena announced gleefully. The small lights vibrated and Mara started cheering followed by the other girls. Stefan and Jeremy wasn't quite as excited but clapped their hands dutifully.

"Aren't you going to kiss her?" Jeremy encouraged and was backed up by the girls.

Lea stepped close to Damon and placed a light kiss on his thin lips. At first she felt weird because he didn't react, but when he did she rather wished he hadn't. The way he kissed her, without his normal hunger, but with kind cautiousness, made her heart start to flutter unexpectedly. It was gentle and sweet. Damon was none of those things. She pulled back slowly and gave him a confused shrug, before Helena raised her arms in celebration and all the shining lights propelled upwards and gathered into several forms of lanterns like pearls on a string, lifting the dim mood of the ceremony.

Caroline came over to embrace Lea and she sniffled slightly. "You looked so beautiful."

"Thank you, Care. I suspect it's not over yet?" Lea chuckled and looked to Damon, who seemed to have adopted Stefan's stoneexpression.

"Not by a long shot. Now we party." Caroline dragged Lea towards the table with cake and food and the others followed them, talking about that incredible magic trick Bonnie had done with the lights.

Damon stayed behind, watching Lea being shoved into a chair and laughing as Caroline nearly force-fed her an appetizer out of pure keenness.

"Bonnie told me that you're getting married to kill an Original," Helena spoke beside him, although her speech already had revealed as much.

"Yes."

"Well you're lucky that she's such a delightful woman then, when you had to marry her out of need not love. Gea's are unique, but something tells me that Lea is pretty unique on her own. But I don't have to tell you what you already know," the old witch mused with a neutral expression and left him alone to consider her words.

Damon didn't say much during the dinner. The sight of Lea coming towards him through curtains of light had taken him aback. He had never seen her like that. It was near impossible to recall her as she was in his bedroom relaxed and naked, casually chatting about everything and nothing. She was so untouchable now, so bright. Every time he touched her it was like his own shadow dimmed her light and it was nearly unbearable. His fun and casual Lea had turned into something else and he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that Lea was a good person and he had to admire her for her brave soul, her beauty and her mind. How could he not? When she was around he forgot all the misery that Elena had caused him, she made ham… happy. Helena had made him aware of something he never thought of before; Gea's were not immortal. Sooner or later he would lose her and the idea plagued him. Why did they have to go through with Caroline's wedding? He was content with the way he saw Lea before she came to him, a vision of light and beauty.

When dinner was over Damon walked down to the lake and tried to sort out his thoughts, but Lea followed him and distracted him with her voice and scent.

"Why are you moping? I thought we agreed that this was the part of the evening we could actually enjoy," Lea smiled and pushed him comradely with her shoulder.

"I have a strict policy against participating in fluffiness and this is in the verge of a pink cotton candy moment," Damon rejected, trying not to looking at her. He didn't know what would happen to him if he did. Something told him that he would lose himself forever. He did not want to become her slave.

"Now who's being boring? Come on, Caroline wants us to have our first dance. You like dancing." She wiggled her eyebrows attempting to lure him in the direction of the dance floor. Her attractive warmth made ham sigh and admit that he could not deny her.

They only made it halfway back before Caroline noticed them. "You have got to have a first song," Caroline exclaimed.

"Oh can I choose?" Lea jumped up and down enthusiastically and Damon just waved his hand at the iPod, encouraging her to go nuts, but fearing the worst. In a moment he would have to try and be sexy to some Mariah Carey song or maybe even, he gulped, Beyoncé. Lea ran and spent a few moments scrolling through the playlists with a concentrated expression. A mean electric guitar started playing, followed by drums and a high-pitched man's voice. "Is this the perfect soundtrack for this wedding or what?" she shouted and played the air guitar.

Looking at her Damon forgot all about his concerns and a broad grin cracked his face. Lea was not the worst person on earth to be enslaved to. He joined her on the dance floor as AC/DC roared "on the highway to hell" from the speakers. At first Caroline looked stern, like it wasn't the kind of first song she had planned for, but Lea and Damon's huge smiles were infectious and soon the others were clapping their hands and rocking in a circle around the couple. Lea closed her eyes and flipped her hair back and forward, "going down, party time!" She twirled around pointing at the others one at a time in a tacky 80's move. "My friends are gonna be here too."

Damon seized her by the waste and made her face him, groaning "high way to hell," against her lips. She gasped but smiled and seized his left hand as he grabbed her waist with the right one. They looked strikingly like newlyweds. Elena jumped on Stefan who tried hard not to engage in the dancing. Bonnie and Jeremy were lip singing and throwing rock signs with their hands at the sky and Mara had her very own style, a mix of tap-dancing and tribal moves. The music thundered on and the little group danced their feet sore. Helena wasn't fond of the rock genre but the song ended and when the sound of Owl city's _Good time_ began she joined the others along with her lively broomstick that acted as a dance partner.

Lea was spinning around, light as a feather between Damon's hands and smiling from ear to ear.

The dancing went on quite a while before Stefan finally managed to excuse himself an escape to the house under the pretense of getting more champagne. It was nice to see his brother with Lea. It had turned out exactly the way Stefan had expected all along. From the first time he saw how Lea handled his brother, Stefan knew she was going to impact their lives. He had seen the change in his brother from the beginning although Damon would deny it if Stefan ever pointed it out. It was not that Damon was nicer or had less attitude. The day that changed, Stefan would take a job as tooth fairy and start wearing pink tutus. No, it was little things, like the fact that Damon didn't take daily trips to the Grill to buy more bourbon and the way his smile actually reached his eyes. Lea could handle Damon in a way no one else could, and Damon had stopped eying Elena in that disturbing manner, which Stefan appreciated greatly.

Stefan opened the freezer and picked up the green bottles that Caroline had placed in there earlier. He chose two and lifted them out with swing of his arm, and knocked them right into Mara's face. She fell backwards and landed on the kitchen floor, holding a bloody nose.

"Oh Mara I am so sorry!" He hurried to find a wet cloth and helped her on her feet. The nose was broken in an angle and tarnished her pretty face. Guiltily he took great care to wash the blood off and Mara didn't speak one word the entire time. The gentle touch was more than she had felt in all of her life and she sat still so as not to make him stop. "I think I have to break it back so it heals right. Is that okay?"

She nodded quietly. As long as it was Stefan who touched her she did not care if it was painful or pleasurable. A crunchy crack sounded as he pushed it back in position and still she didn't say one word.

"Are you okay?"

Mara sniffled and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Stefan felt awkward and didn't know what so say. "It'll be as good as new, your nose."

"You are too good to me," she mumbled and lowered her head. "No one is as good to me as you."

"You're not with Arawn anymore, Mara. We're all your friends here."

She fiddled nervously with the hem of the dress that Caroline had bought her. It hugged her curves tightly and the warm golden color was a striking contrast to her ivory skin. She had little golden gloves as well and she was slowly removing them. "Are you my friend, Stefan?"

Her sad features made him put his arms around her to prove that he only wanted good things for her. What she had been through he was only too familiar with, the emptiness of blind hunger and pain. "I am."

She lifted her head and looked into his grey eyes with adoration. "I will do anything for you, Stefan. You freed me."

The love in her voice made him uncomfortable and he withdrew a little. "I just want you to be happy. You still have to learn what will make you happy."

"You make me happy." She gathered all her courage and quickly leaned up to kiss him before he could react.

Outside Elena had heard their conversation with her newly acquired super hearing and when she turned to see them kissing through the window boiling wrath and jealousy stung her throat like acid. A new vampire was sensitive to emotions and right now Elena was experiencing stronger feelings than she had ever felt before in her life.

Stefan had grown stiff and cold while Mara tenderly kissed him, tears rolling down her cheeks. As the shock subsided, he managed to carefully push her away. "Mara, I could never…"

"I know you like Skinny girl, but I love you more than she does." Mara said smiling and stroking his hands.

With the admiration beaming from her, Stefan knew he could only hurt her. "I don't love you, Mara. I'm sorry."

The statement made her sigh, but she quickly recovered. "You will come to love me. I know you will, in time. I have waited a thousand years for a man like you, Stefan. Now that you are in my sight, I can afford to wait a little longer."

Before he could explain that time wouldn't change anything, she marched out the room with perky steps. She had full confidence that she was more interesting than a 22 year-old vampire girl and when she made him see how she could please him, he come to her.

Outside Elena was shaking with anger and there was murder in her eyes. She flashed to Damon's side with clutched fists. He didn't bother asking what was wrong, since he was pretty sure what she was about to tell him. Instead he continued to stare at Lea who was dancing with Bonnie and Caroline.

"You have to kill Mara," Elena whispered hoarsely and pushed his shoulder to make him face her. Her olive colored skin had turned white with fury.

Damon had heard the kitchen conversation as well and wasn't surprised. "You know I love a reckless kill as much as the next vampire, but in case you haven't noticed she is on our side."

"Don't get smart with me," Elena hissed. "She is bad, she wants to break up the group."

Mara chose that moment to exit the house and ran straight to the dance floor to join the other girls in a happy hopping dance.

"Are you sure it's not the green eyed monster talking, Elena? With you heightened emotions it would feel like the Godzilla of jealousy." Damon refused to get dragged into her problems when he had his own concerns to deal with.

"She kissed Stefan," Elena bit.

"I figured as much."

"I want you to kill her."

Damon looked at her with a smug grin. "Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Because she's a thousand years older than me. You're the only one strong enough to kill her after Lea so helpfully gave Mara back her full strength."

He molded his expression to seem contemplative. "Hmm."

She almost attacked him, unable to control her feelings. "What?!"

"It just feels like you've changed lately," he joked. "If you were still human this conversation would probably be reverse. _Oh Damon, please don't kill her. She can't help what she feels_." He changed his voice to mimic hers.

Elena took a step backward. She was not used to this kind of reaction from him when she came to him with a serious problem. "Do you want me and Stefan to fail? Is this your revenge because I chosehim?" she asked aghast. It was obvious that her recent transformation was doing the talking, because old Elena would never have said something like that.

He shook his head like she was acting crazy. "If I couldn't break you two up, why should Mare be able to?"

"You didn't want to harm your own brother. Mara wants me gone."

"I'm sure you can manage, Elena. You're not helpless anymore," he rejected and turned back to watch Lea.

"There was a time you would have done it without a second thought," she muttered stunned.

He glanced at her briefly. "I remember. I said I would always choose you."

She looked at him, demanding and hopeful at the same time.

"Only you didn't choose me back and I'm afraid I have to withdraw that promise. Stefan loves you, don't go all insecure on him. Remind him that he loves you. Because I can't choose you anymore." With that, he left her standing alone and made his way to the dance floor, feeling wonderfully light around his heart. Elena could only glare at Mara with all the animosity she could muster. Stefan came towards her with the champagne and they engaged in a heated mumbling argument.

"Can I have this dance?" Damon asked and Lea smiled at him and nodded. When Elena's discontent grew in volume, they all started staring at the couple though and only Damon pretended that nothing was happening.

"Why are they fighting?" Lea wondered and sent Damon a look like he was the reason.

"Because they are not as good at communicating like you and me my dear. Relationships are all about communication."

His joke distracted her and made her chuckle. It had been a fun evening and Lea was not about to have it ruined because Elena and Stefan had a minor disagreement. They cared too much about each other to let something split them for long.

The music changed to something slow and smooth. She expected Damon to change the number, but he just drew her closer and danced on, even though Caroline and Bonnie left to hear what was happening with Elena.

"That ring," Lea began.

"It was my mothers."

She had her chin on his shoulder and couldn't read his face. "Why would you give me your mother's ring?"

"It was Stefan's idea."

"Oh." For a moment she thought he had meant something more by giving it to her, but of course it was Stefan's suggestion.

"I think it suits you," he added neutrally. They danced for a while in silence, even though the song changed once again. Elena had calmed down and was hugging Stefan, but Lea hardly noticed. Being near Damon felt different somehow. She figured it was due to the odd mood he was in. Lea drilled her nose into his smoking and breathed in the scent. It smelled good. This was nice and it even felt remotely real. If she closed her eyes it was not hard to imagine that this was her real wedding and that she was dancing with the love of her life. It was total nonsense of course. She and Damon had to be the most dysfunctional couple she could think of, but maybe she could pretend, just for tonight. He certainly seemed to be pretending with his slow dancing and braiding his fingers with hers. Lea didn't mind.

It was close to midnight when they stopped dancing. They still had to cut the cake, but Lea had another plan. She dragged him off the dance floor and headed for the tree line.

"Where are we going, Lea?" Damon asked, making very little attempt to stop her.

"Finding somewhere we can celebrate our marriage, just you and me," she said and pulled him further into the forest.

"That's what the bedroom Caroline has trashed with rose petals and incense is for," he grinned.

"I thought you hated that kind of fluffiness."

"I do."

"Then what are you complaining about? I am taking you to the rough version of the honeymoon suite," she stated and marched on. Before long they were thoroughly lost in the darkness among a cluster of birch trees. The white stems caught what little light came from the sky above and stood like ghostly pillars around them. Their natural honeymoon suite was a huge hall with moss for a floor and stars peeking through the ceiling. Lea found an extra soft spot and sat down in the mass of her dress. Single vague sparkles from the ceremony still glowed in her hair, like tiny shining hearts, beating.

Damon let himself fall down beside her. "Aren't you worried about Caroline's reaction when we're not around to cut the cake?"

"Only if she finds us," Lea jested and leaned back unto the soft ground. She snuggled up by his chest and Damon put his arm around her. Time passed as they lay silently and Damon thought about how nicely she fit in the crook of his arm.

"Lea?" He turned to look at her, but her eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling slowly. She looked fast asleep. "Damn you woman, I think I really like you."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I try to update every other week, and once in while, like this time it only takes me one week to write a chapter. R&R please :) Let me now if you like what I do. Key words for the coming chapter: Dark chocolate. ;)**


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